The path of Romchyk Valhe’s family to Ternopil region is a story of pain, courage and an incredible rescue. In mid-2024, searching for safety and peace, the four children and their parents settled in the Husiatyn community.

In 2023, after the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam was blown up, their native Oleshky ended up under water. When volunteers evacuated the family, the water had already reached the first floor. People were taken out in an inflatable boat under shelling – back then, every step towards rescue was a real miracle.

The family’s first temporary shelter was an evacuee centre in Kherson, then Kyiv region, and later Ternopil region.

Serhii and Yuliia immediately set about fixing up the house provided by local residents. Within a month, the father installed windows, built a bathroom and fitted plumbing on his own. Humanitarian organisations helped. Now they plan to repair the floor and set up a vegetable garden.

The children – 13-year-old Viktoriia, 11-year-old Roman, 10-year-old Vsevolod and 5-year-old Stefaniia – quickly adapted to their new life. The older ones study at the local school, and the youngest goes to kindergarten.

The family is endlessly grateful to the people who support them. Serhii joined the “Hectare of Kindness” initiative of the NGO Fainadiia – he works as a tractor driver, helping to cultivate gardens for local residents and displaced people.

Romchyk and his brother Vsevolod especially love their new place. They walk a lot and ride bikes, and in his free time Romchyk enjoys drawing and building with LEGO. He is the author of the drawing. These are not just pictures – they are the boy’s vision of a peaceful life, of a home without war. It is this kind of Ukraine that every family that has gone through severe trials dreams of.