We dream of a house with a vegetable garden next to it: a large family from Donetsk region is building a life in Kirovohrad region

The Lavryk family, who are raising seven children, evacuated from near Bakhmut in Donetsk region to Oleksandriia in Kirovohrad region in 2022. At the time, 37-year-old Nataliia was pregnant. She says the move was difficult, but thanks to the support of her loved ones and the care of volunteers, everything went well, and soon little Mykhailo was born.

“First we were evacuated to Dnipro, and from there to Kirovohrad region. As soon as we were taken out, shells began hitting the village… We lived in one shelter for almost a year and later moved to another. There were ten of us – seven children, me, my husband and my mother-in-law. Unfortunately, my husband’s mother passed away last year. This loss is very painful, because she was always a support and a pillar for us,” Nataliia shares.

Today the family lives in a shelter that is divided into two parts – the other part houses a kindergarten.

The Rokada team has been looking after the facility and its residents for more than a year. It has already replaced the windows there, as the old window frames were outdated not only in appearance but also physically, having long lost their seal.

“When we asked the shelter residents what was critically important for them in everyday life, they said that replacing the windows would be very relevant. So we took care of it. In total, we replaced 10 windows in each room and the common areas. Now people are more comfortable and warmer,” says Nataliia Saprykina, engineer at Rokada’s regional office, adding that building materials were also provided so that people could renovate their rooms.

“We will do the work ourselves. We have quite an active community. The renovations have already started,” adds shelter manager Iryna Khorolska.

Renovation is also under way in the Lavryks’ room. The mistress of the house shows that linoleum has already been laid. Other work lies ahead.

In their home village, the family had their own house, grew vegetables and looked after a large farm.

“We had cows, bull calves, ducks and rabbits… Every February we bought broiler chicks and raised them. There was also a big vegetable garden… We miss it very much now. And the holidays, when everyone gathered at the table. It was a good time that can never be repeated. My father stayed at home and died under the rubble during another round of shelling…” the woman continues.

To revive that life at least a little, the family was allowed to set up a small vegetable garden next to the shelter. But it was too small, so an elderly acquaintance gave the Lavryks the use of her plot as well. So this will be the third spring in a row that the family plants vegetables.

Her husband Viktor now works at a factory in Oleksandriia. Nataliia says his employers value him, and she is very proud of it.

The children Viktoriia, Vladyslav, Anastasiia and Oleksandr go to school, the youngest son Mykhailyk goes to kindergarten, and the eldest, Dariia, is getting vocational education.

“My eldest daughter Yuliia already has her own family. I even have a granddaughter, and we are expecting a second one. So I’m a grandmother,” Nataliia says happily.

The children dream of a successful future – some want to be a teacher, some a footballer and coach, some want to go into medicine. But most of all, the big family dreams of their own house.

“We are grateful to the people who support and help us. We are grateful to the community and to Rokada. But our own house is the chance to fully start a new chapter of life for us. It is the chance to keep a farm again and build a stable and safe future for our children. So for now we are working to make our dream come true,” the mother of many concludes.