Caring for the Caregivers: Nikolai and Valentina’s Story in Kherson

In the battered neighborhoods of Kherson, survival often depends not only on resilience, but on the strength of family. For Nikolai Grigorievich Korenovsky, 71, and his wife Valentina Mikhailovna, each day is a testament to that strength.

A Stroke That Changed Everything

Last fall, Nikolai suffered a severe stroke that left him unable to get up or care for himself. Since then, he has been completely dependent on others for even the most basic needs. For a man who once lived independently, the sudden loss of mobility has been devastating.

In many parts of Ukraine this would already be difficult. In a frontline city like Kherson—where electricity, heat, and medical access are often uncertain—it becomes even more challenging.

A Wife Still Recovering From War

What makes Nikolai’s situation even more heartbreaking is that his caregiver, his wife Valentina, is herself still recovering from a violent attack.

On October 1, 2025, Valentina was caught in a shooting at a local market. She suffered serious injuries and required multiple surgeries to repair damage to her face and collarbone. Even now, she continues to live with the physical and emotional effects of that trauma.

Despite this, Valentina has taken on the immense responsibility of caring for her husband every day.

Love and Duty in the Midst of War

Their home has become both a place of recovery and a place of struggle. Valentina tends to Nikolai’s daily needs—helping him move, keeping him clean, preparing food, and ensuring he receives the care he requires.

For many elderly couples in war-damaged areas, there are few options. Hospitals are strained, caregivers are scarce, and resources are limited.

Yet Valentina refuses to abandon her husband.

Her determination reflects the quiet courage we see again and again among the people of Kherson.

How Ukrainian Children Inc Is Helping

Ukrainian Children Inc is working on the ground to help families like Nikolai and Valentina who are facing impossible circumstances. Through your support, we are able to provide essential aid—food, medical supplies, hygiene items, and other necessities that help vulnerable families survive.

For couples like the Korenovskys, this assistance can mean the difference between despair and hope.

How You Can Help

There are many more families like Nikolai and Valentina—elderly, injured, and struggling to survive in cities that remain under constant threat.

Your support allows us to reach them.

Every donation helps provide:

• Food and basic necessities

• Medical and hygiene supplies

• Emergency assistance for vulnerable families

• Direct humanitarian aid to frontline communities

Please consider supporting Ukrainian Children Inc today.

Together, we can ensure that people like Nikolai and Valentina are not forgotten.

A Small Heater, A Moment of Warmth

In Kherson, winter is not just uncomfortable — it can be dangerous. Shelling has damaged infrastructure, electricity is unreliable, and many homes have little or no heat. For elderly residents and vulnerable families, the cold can feel overwhelming.

Recently, our team delivered a small heater to a woman living alone in Kherson. When the heater was placed in her hands, she struggled to hold back tears. The simple act of warmth meant far more than just comfort — it meant safety, dignity, and the knowledge that someone had not forgotten her.

She quietly thanked the volunteers again and again, her voice trembling with emotion. In a city where daily life is shaped by uncertainty, something as small as a heater can restore a sense of hope.

For many residents in Kherson, winter survival depends on these small but essential items. A heater can warm a single room, protect someone from freezing nights, and provide relief during long power outages.

At Ukrainian Children Inc., we continue working with local volunteers to deliver heaters and other emergency supplies directly to those who need them most — the elderly, people with disabilities, and families who cannot leave their homes.

Every heater we deliver represents more than equipment. It represents compassion, solidarity, and the belief that no one should face this winter alone.

How You Can Help

Your support allows us to continue providing life-saving aid to vulnerable people in Kherson and across Ukraine.

A donation today can help provide:

• Small heaters for freezing apartments

• Warm blankets and clothing

• Food and emergency supplies for vulnerable residents

Even a small contribution can help bring warmth to someone who desperately needs it.

Donate today and help us keep someone warm this winter.

A Story of Strength on Pyatikhatskaya Street

In the city of Kherson, where daily life is still shaped by uncertainty and hardship, Ukrainian Children Inc. continues to stand beside families who are struggling to survive. Among them are Yulia and Igor Dzyuba, a married couple living on Pyatikhatskaya Street, whose quiet resilience reminds us why this work matters so much.

Both Yulia and Igor have lived with disabilities since childhood. Life has never been easy for them—but the war has made every challenge harder.

Igor cannot walk and spends most of his time confined indoors. Because their home is cold and poorly heated, his feet are constantly chilled, which often leads to illness. Simply enduring the winter months becomes a daily battle. Recently, Igor survived what Yulia calls a miracle—making the difficult journey back to their rented apartment despite his fragile condition.

Yulia herself struggles to move. She can walk only very slowly and with assistance, yet she carries the enormous responsibility of caring for both her husband and her family. Each day she tends to Igor’s needs, helping him with the basic tasks of living. At the same time, she travels—slowly and with difficulty—to visit her father, who has been hospitalized for a long time.

Despite everything, Yulia never complains. She continues forward, step by step, determined to care for the people she loves.

Basic Needs Become Lifelines

For Yulia and Igor, even the most basic necessities are difficult to obtain. Because of their disabilities, they require medical supplies such as adult diapers, which can be expensive and difficult to find in a city under constant strain.

This is where Ukrainian Children Inc. steps in—providing direct support so families like the Dzyubas can maintain dignity and stability during an incredibly difficult time.

Sometimes help means delivering food.
Sometimes it means warm clothing or assistance with rent.
And sometimes it means something as simple—and as essential—as medical supplies.

Quiet Courage in Kherson

Stories like Yulia and Igor’s are not uncommon in Kherson. Many residents remain in their homes despite constant hardship, limited resources, and ongoing danger. They stay because this is their home, and because leaving is often impossible.

Yet within these difficult circumstances, we continue to see extraordinary courage.

Yulia’s determination to care for her husband while also supporting her hospitalized father speaks to the strength of families across Ukraine—people who continue to endure with grace, resilience, and hope.

How You Can Help

Your support allows Ukrainian Children Inc. to reach families like Yulia and Igor with immediate, practical aid.

A donation today helps provide:

• Medical supplies such as diapers and hygiene items

• Food and basic necessities

• Emergency support for vulnerable families in frontline communities like Kherson

Even a small contribution can make an enormous difference for families facing impossible circumstances.

Together, we can remind people like Yulia and Igor that they are not forgotten.

Donate today and help bring relief to families in Kherson.

A Life of Quiet Courage in Kherson

In Kherson, where daily life is still shaped by the consequences of war, many elderly residents face unimaginable hardship. Yet even in these difficult circumstances, their resilience and determination continue to inspire us.

One of those people is Viktor Semenovich Belozerov, a 79-year-old man whose strength quietly tells the story of so many Ukrainians who refuse to give up.

Living with Severe Medical Challenges

Viktor lives with serious medical conditions that make everyday life extremely difficult. He must use both a catheter and a colostomy bag, which require constant care and attention.

Because of these medical needs, his wife spends much of each day helping him and washing laundry repeatedly just to keep up with the medical supplies and clothing that must be cleaned. It is exhausting work, but she does it with love and devotion.

Another photo taken recently at the hospital shows just how fragile Viktor’s health has become. Even so, he continues to fight through each day.

Cold Rooms and Water Shortages

Like many families in Kherson, Viktor and his wife are currently renting a small place to live. Conditions are extremely difficult.

Their home is cold, and water shortages are frequent, making even basic hygiene and medical care a daily challenge. For a man with Viktor’s health needs, these conditions are especially dangerous.

Yet leaving their home city is not an option they are ready to take. Kherson is where their life has been built, and where they hope to remain.

How Your Support Helps

Through Ukrainian Children Inc, we are able to provide direct assistance to vulnerable families like Viktor’s. With your help we can deliver:

• Emergency financial support for rent and utilities
• Food and basic necessities
• Medical and hygiene supplies
• Warm clothing and heating assistance

For families struggling in frontline cities like Kherson, even small acts of support make an enormous difference.

You Can Help People Like Viktor

Viktor’s story is one of quiet courage, but he and his wife should not have to face these hardships alone.

Your support helps us reach families who are elderly, ill, and often forgotten in the middle of a long war.

Together, we can make sure people like Viktor are not left behind.

Please consider supporting Ukrainian Children Inc today.
Your generosity provides warmth, dignity, and hope to families who need it most.

👉 Donate now to help vulnerable families in Ukraine.

Gratitude from the Port Elevator Distribution Point

In Kherson, where daily life continues under the shadow of war, humanitarian aid remains a lifeline for many families. At the Port Elevator distribution point, one of the local women helping organize supplies recently shared her heartfelt thanks to those making this work possible.

She helps coordinate the distribution of essential items to residents who come each day in search of help—elderly people, families with children, and individuals with disabilities who often have nowhere else to turn.

Standing among stacks of supplies, she expressed deep gratitude to Ukrainian Children Inc. and the supporters who make these deliveries possible.

“Thank you to Ukrainian Children Inc. for the help you bring to our people. The supplies you send are so needed here. Many of those who come to us are elderly or struggling to survive through very difficult conditions. Your support allows us to give them food, warm items, and basic necessities they otherwise would not have.”

Every day at the Port Elevator distribution point, volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that aid reaches those who need it most. The supplies provided through Ukrainian Children Inc. help fill shelves with essential goods and allow the local team to respond to urgent needs in their community.

For those living in Kherson, especially the elderly and vulnerable, these deliveries are more than just packages—they are reassurance that they have not been forgotten.

The woman paused before returning to her work, carefully organizing supplies for the next group of residents waiting outside.

Her final words captured what many here feel:

“Please tell everyone who helps Ukrainian Children Inc.—thank you. Your kindness reaches people who truly need it.”

Standing Together

Ukrainian Children Inc. continues to support communities across Ukraine by delivering humanitarian supplies directly to the people who need them most. Through partnerships with local volunteers and distribution centers like the one at the Port Elevator, aid can reach families even in the most difficult areas.

Your support helps keep this work going.

Together, we can continue bringing relief, dignity, and hope to those enduring the hardships of war. 🇺🇦