58-year-old Afanasyeva Galyna Viktorivna lives on the outskirts of Maryinka outside the positions protected by the Ukrainian army.

To be able to reach her home, Emmanuel’s team had to ask for an official permission from the military and pass through the restrictive barrier.

The woman met us leaning on a walker and it turned out that she has an official certification of Group 1 disability. Galyna shared that since her house is located in the so-called “red zone” not many government officials or international organizations are able to reach here due to restricted access. Therefore, she doesn’t have many opportunities to talk to people. She was more than happy to share about her life:

 “Just another winter at war means suffering from colds or even freezing to death. How can one buy coal for the winter? A truck with fuel costs 12,000 UAH for the winter season and my pension is 1,500 UAH per month. In order to buy fuel, I must not eat or drink for a year, trying to save the money for heating.

This year I was very lucky – with the support of Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, Emmanuel installed a solid-fuel heater installed in my house and they provided me with solid-fuel briquettes for the whole winter! Now I know I’ll be able to survive this winter. The most important thing now is to hope that a shell won’t hit my house. Thank you for the warmth that you have brought to my home!”

By Anna Chaban