Ms. Zoya was still recovering from the amputation of both her lower limbs when Russian shelling of Kramatorsk began to intensify. It was too dangerous to stay, and she was no longer able to leave on her own. So she called the hotline of the “Skhid SOS” Charitable Foundation.
Ms. Zoya had moved from Mykolaiv to Kramatorsk after her husband’s death. He died of COVID-19 in 2021, leaving her alone with three children. To support her family, she traveled to the Donetsk region in search of better work. Early this year, Ms. Zoya suffered severe frostbite on her feet. The damage proved irreversible—doctors had to amputate both of her lower limbs. Her postoperative recovery coincided with a time when it was becoming increasingly dangerous to remain in Kramatorsk.
In April 2026, an evacuation team from the “Skhid SOS” Charitable Foundation helped Ms. Zoya leave the city. She was first taken to a transit center in Lozova, and later found temporary shelter at the “Ocean of Goodness” Center for Social Adaptation of People with Disabilities in Dnipro. While Ms. Zoya was receiving the necessary care, Oksana Akchebash, a social services specialist at the “Sхід SOS” Charitable Foundation, began preparing for the next stage—settling her into a permanent residence.
The specialist helped Ms. Zoya renew her passport and identification number, as well as open a bank account. The next step was to obtain a Group I disability designation, after which Oksana helped her submit the necessary documents to the Pension Fund of Ukraine to receive the appropriate benefits. In the summer, Ms. Zoya moved to the Ternopil region to take up permanent residence there, where she receives the care she needs.
In July 2026, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the “Skhid SOS” Charitable Foundation provided 674 social counseling sessions and 284 psychological counseling sessions to war victims, and helped 92 people find a safe place to live. Psychological specialists conducted five group stress-relief sessions for war victims.
In addition, from April through July 2026, the foundation’s team provided 106 evacuees with 2,406 hot meals at the “Bez Mezh” shelter in Kharkiv, which “Sхід SOS” set up in partnership with the NGO “Volunteer–68.”
Psychosocial assistance is provided as part of the project “Protection and Psychosocial Services for People with Limited Mobility and People with Disabilities Affected by the War,” supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
Based on materials from the “Skhid SOS” Charitable Foundation