East SOS Renovated the Roof of a Teacher’s Home in Izium
Nataliia is a 48-year-old resident of Izium who has been a primary school teacher for more than 23 years. She lives with her husband and their 13-year-old daughter. The full-scale war brought profound losses to her family: her mother, the person closest to her, passed away, and her brother, a serviceman, has been missing since the start of the invasion.
In 2020, when the pandemic began, Nataliia’s school switched to distance learning. Soon after, the full-scale invasion followed. Despite everything, she did not abandon her profession. In April 2022, during the temporary russian occupation of Izium, the family was forced to evacuate to Dnipro. After the city was liberated, they returned home.
Today, Nataliia teaches a first-grade class of 11 children from the Izium community.
She says the war has changed her pupils deeply:
“During the war, children grow up faster. They are only six years old, but their eyes already reflect lived experience. It’s not about knowledge – it’s about inner maturity that even not every adult possesses.”
Power outages and unstable internet connection often prevent children from joining online classes. Families try to find solutions, but not everyone can afford power banks or additional devices. Even so, Nataliia continues to teach with dedication. Her pupils remain her greatest source of strength and motivation.
“I love my job and my students very much,” she says. “One of my pupils, six-year-old Arinka, is a lively little girl. She often asks me, ‘Nataliia Anatoliivna, how are you?’ In moments like that, you forget all your worries and problems.”
The family’s house was damaged three times as a result of russian shelling. After the last strike in April 2024, five windows were shattered, and the foundation, walls, and roof were damaged. Charitable organizations helped install new windows, while the family repaired the foundation and walls on their own. The East SOS team restored the roof, which had been damaged by debris.
Since August 2023, we have restored 1,078 households in the Izium district of the Kharkiv region.
If you need assistance with restoring housing damaged by hostilities in the Izium district, Barvinkove community, Lozova district, Blyzniuky community (Kharkiv region), or Oleksandrivka community (Donetsk region), please contact our Call Center from Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM–6:00 PM at 0800 332 614.
The renovation works are carried out as part of the project “Comprehensive Support and Protection of Vulnerable Groups of Evacuees”, with financial support from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF).
Recently, East SOS renovated a house and turned it into a space for life and creativity.
