Oxana’s Journey

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military operation on Ukraine.

The humanitarian need in Ukraine is dramatically increasing. People are fleeing major cities like the capital, Kyiv, or sheltering where they can in places like metro stations. 10 million people have fled the country and many more are displaced within Ukraine.

Learn more about our Ukraine response

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In early March, Oxana and her four children left everything behind and fled their hometown in Ukraine.

Oxana is from Odessa. On February 24th a missile hit near her home – her children were playing outside at the time and were very scared. Her and her husband made the decision to immediately leave Odessa, and eventually they decided that she would leave Ukraine with the children, while he stayed behind with her 80-year-old mother.

They packed some clothes and left at 6am. Due to the long drive and the long lines crossing the border, they didn’t arrive in Moldova until 8pm. Eventually they were directed to a collective centre for women and children, which is where ShelterBox Canada’s Executive Director Steph Christensen met Oxana and her children.

She hopes they can go home soon but for now has a small room in the collective centre and are being provided with food and basic necessities. She worries about the long-term effects this will have on her children.

Thanks to our incredible supporters around the world, ShelterBox is working on three projects to support families affected by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

For those who have remained in Ukraine, ShelterBox is supporting families have fled their homes and are living in collective centres, proving them with mattresses to help sleep at night. ShelterBox is also supporting those who have remained in damaged buildings by providing people with items like shelter kits and tools to help them survive in unstable conditions.

For those like Oxana who have fled the country, Shelterbox is supporting thousands of refugees in Moldova with high priority items they can carry. This includes individual hygiene kits with items like toothpaste, soap, and sanitary projects to help people crossing the border to meet their basic needs, including emergency shelter and non-food items, we’re also providing cash assistance.