Latyshova Family
From: Tonenke village, Donetsk region
Family members: Nellia (61) and Raisa (mother, 86)

From Crowded Quarters to New Beginning

Before the war, Nellia Latyshova and her elderly mother Raisa lived separately in different villages, each in their own home. The war brought them back together under difficult circumstances. The turning point that forced them to leave their native region was the shelling of the Kramatorsk railway station — a tragic event that made them realize they needed to flee for safety.

The mother and daughter found themselves in Obukhiv, where they lived for a long time with relatives, sharing a two-bedroom apartment between effectively three families. After it became clear that returning home would be impossible, the question of finding a new place to live became urgent. “The approval of our application for housing in Miracle Village seemed like a real miracle, a ray of light at a time when it was so desperately needed,” shares Nellia.

Their homes were destroyed during the fighting, leaving nothing for them to return to.

“Our lives have changed for the better — there’s now a sense of certainty about the future, confidence in tomorrow,” Nellia explains. “We’ve made new friends, we attend cultural events more often, and we have inspiration for active participation and the feeling that together we can overcome all difficulties.”

Finding purpose in her new community, Nellia has secured employment as a social worker with the Polish Humanitarian Action organization and also volunteers with the “Support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine” group. After sharing crowded quarters with extended family and facing profound uncertainty, mother and daughter have found not only appropriate housing but also purpose and community that have restored their faith in the future.