Survive, Feel, Recover: Svitlana’s Story

Svitlana* was living a quiet life in a small village in southern Ukraine. She had a job, two children, and a house with grapevines growing by the porch. Then Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine came—sudden and loud, with shelling, debris, and nightly fears. 

One day, a missile hit her house—there was no miracle. The roof was gone, the kitchen destroyed. She grabbed her children and fled—anywhere her eyes could see, as far away from the explosions as possible. In every village, she asked for shelter until she found a small house—without water or amenities, but also without “nighttime strikes.” 

The job she knew became dangerous, demanding more time and effort. Every day, she drove dozens of kilometers to a city repeatedly shelled. Her salary barely covered food and transportation. But the hardest part was the feeling inside—a tight knot of fear. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, afraid of change, afraid of losing the last thread that kept her connected to her once peaceful life. 

Svitlana reached out for free psychological support from the specialists at the Bilozersky Center for Regional Development. She had been following the organization’s social media for a long time, regularly seeing announcements about free help, but hadn’t dared to call. But her condition worsened—there was nowhere left to wait, and she finally made the call. 

Her first words were quiet, fragile: “I don’t know who I am anymore…” During the first session, she received the support she so desperately needed—and most importantly, acceptance, without judgment or criticism. Something we all lack so often in life. This space for communication became a place where her pain had the right to exist. 

In the next session, she learned grounding techniques and explored her fear of change, behind which she discovered a need for control. She realized that many of her reactions were normal in the abnormal situation she was living through. She learned that it was possible to live and feel differently—by choosing another path and taking small steps forward. 

“…I reminded myself of my inner strength—not everyone endured, but I rescued, I searched, I kept going. I’ve only just begun to realize that I never stopped for a minute,” says Svitlana. “I realized I’m not ‘weak,’ I’m exhausted. And I deserve rest and care. I want to build a new life. And I can build it on the foundation of my own strength.” 

A month has passed, and Svitlana continues to transform. She’s begun believing in herself more and recognizing her professional value. She even talks more often about moving to a bigger city and looking for a new job. She’s preparing her resume. She’s no longer running away—she’s consciously setting goals and trying to take small steps. She’s started keeping a journal. She’s allowing herself to dream—little by little. She has found support, and now she’s building plans for the future. Her eyes are no longer empty; they hold pain, and light, and hope. And most importantly, she now knows what lies ahead—because what lies ahead is her—alive and strong, and everything she allows herself to be. 

NGO "Bilozersky Center for Regional Development" provides free legal and psychological consultations through outreach visits to communities, in their office in Bilozerka, Kherson region, or by calling the support hotlines: 

– Psychological support – (066) 999-01-42 
– Legal support – (050) 999-01-42 

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Free psychosocial and legal assistance is provided by the NGO "Bilozersky Center for Regional Development" within a project implemented by HIAS Ukraine, funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). However, the views expressed and content included during the workshops (trainings, conferences) does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 

The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities. 

*The name of the woman in the story has been changed to protect confidentiality.