Profatilova Family
From: Paraskoviivka village, Donetsk region
Family member: Valentyna (77)

Finding Refuge From a Destroyed Village

When the war began, Valentyna Profatilova initially couldn’t believe that she would have to permanently leave her home in the small village of Paraskoviivka. But as enemy forces approached, a general evacuation was announced in her district in early May 2022. She first relocated to Pavlohrad, beginning a journey that would eventually lead her to Miracle Village.

Her house in Paraskoviivka was destroyed, along with everything around it, in what would become one of the heavily contested areas near Bakhmut.

“It’s good and cozy here, with kind-hearted people who strive to help one another,” Valentyna shares about her new home in Miracle Village.

Due to her age, Valentyna notes that she is not able to be useful to the community through volunteer work, but she has found comfort and security in her new surroundings. After losing everything at 77 years old, she has found a supportive community where she can live with dignity despite the trauma of displacement and the loss of her village home.