“I Have No Right to Break Down”: The Story of a Woman Who Stays Strong for Her Child and Her Husband
Sometimes life does not change gradually - it changes in an instant.
Home is left behind, plans disappear, and ahead there is only the road and the unknown.
“I left Lysychansk with my husband. It was 2022, when everything had just begun. Volunteers helped evacuate us,” Tetyana recalls.
First there was Dnipro. Then Lviv.
And later - Kharkiv, where they managed to find a temporary place to live.
“In Lviv, we were only accommodated for a week or a week and a half. It was temporary, and we had to move on,” she says.
A Life Sustained by Daily Resilience
Today, Tetyana lives in Kharkiv with her husband and her young daughter, who was born during the war - in January 2026.
But her reality is about much more than motherhood.
Her husband suffered a serious injury and cannot move independently.
“He has a fractured femur,” Tetyana explains briefly.
He is unable to work. And she cannot work either.
“I have a small child, and my husband is bedridden. How can I leave them?” Tetyana says.
Before the full-scale war, her life was completely different. She managed the household, sewed, took care of everyday family life, and created a warm and comfortable home. It was an ordinary life that did not require a constant struggle for basic necessities.
Today, every day is about endurance.
When Assistance Means Survival
In such circumstances, even the simplest support becomes critically important.
That is exactly what the vouchers provided through the project meant for Tetyana.
“I bought everything for the baby. Diapers, clothes… My daughter was not even a month old at the time,” she recalls.
This is not about comfort.
It is about being able to provide for a child’s basic needs when there are no other resources available.
Today, this assistance remains one of her main sources of support.
Because in a situation where working is impossible and responsibility is doubled, initiatives like these quite literally help sustain a family’s life.
Holding On - for Those Who Need You
Despite the exhaustion, difficult circumstances, and uncertainty, Tetyana does not speak about despair.
She speaks about reality - quietly and without unnecessary words.
About a child who needs care.
About a husband who needs support.
And about herself - somewhere in between.
Her story is not about great victories.
It is about the daily strength to stay and keep going.
Because sometimes the greatest courage is simply refusing to give up.
The project “Strengthening the Resilience of Residents of Collective Centers in Kharkiv Region” is implemented by UN Women Ukraine in partnership with Unity Platform NGO. The project is financially supported by the governments of Sweden and Latvia, as well as the national committees of UN Women.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the governments of Sweden and Latvia. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official position of the United Nations.
This publication was prepared with the financial support of the governments of Sweden and Latvia. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official position of the United Nations.
