The Village Knitter’s New Pattern

In Ivanivka village of the Pokrovsk district, Valentyna Pronina, 68, wove her life from simple threads. A former collective farm worker, she found joy in tending her garden and knitting during quiet moments. “In the village, there’s always something to do, ” she would say, her hands rarely idle.

When the situation in her village became critical, soldiers evacuated her toward Kramatorsk. “There were hardly any people left, ” she recalls. “I was afraid to stay alone.” The familiar pattern of her life unraveled as she sought refuge in Dnipropetrovsk region, but financial constraints forced her to return home briefly.

Hope came through an unexpected stitch — another displaced person she had helped, who filled out an application to Chudo Village on her behalf and urged for its quick consideration. “I wasn’t expecting anything special, ” she says, “just hoping for a miracle.”

On December 15, 2024, that miracle materialized when she moved into apartment 14.2A. “It’s as if I’ve entered paradise, ” Valentyna marvels. “An incredible feeling of security and peace. At home, I never had such conditions.”

Her advice to young people reflects her experience of adapting to new patterns: “Learn to adjust — new conditions are always a challenge. But adaptation is a step toward survival and growth. Don’t fear changes — each change opens new possibilities. Accept them with an open heart. Love your homeland; it proved more important to us than we knew.”

To Dell Loy Hansen, the village worker would bow: “In every brick of these houses, we see your kind heart. Thank you for your support.”

Now signed up to work in the greenhouse, Valentyna weaves a new pattern of life in Chudo Village, where she can finally, in her words, “calm down and find normalcy again.”