“Going out for coffee is our new lunchtime tradition,” says Valentyna from Bakhmut about her new life in the Kyiv region

Valentyna’s family lived in Bakhmut until 2022.

“We lived like in heaven — we just didn’t realize it,” says Valentyna, recalling life before the full-scale war.

She lived in a three-room apartment, while her daughter-in-law Zhenia, together with her husband and children, had recently bought a private house.

“We invested everything there, made such a beautiful renovation — and now it’s all gone,” the women recall.

When the sounds of explosions became constant, the family decided to leave. Zhenia and her daughters left first, followed later by Valentyna and her son. Having nowhere else to go, they settled in the village of Poberezhka in the Kyiv region. On the eve of the new school year, the local school happened to be looking for a chemistry and biology teacher — the subjects Valentyna had taught all her life. So she joined the school staff and rented a house from one of her new colleagues.

Valentyna says she had planned to return home to collect her belongings — until one day her neighbor called to tell her that a shell had hit her apartment. And in 2023, Bakhmut was completely occupied and burned to the ground.

“When our houses were still standing, even half-destroyed, but the city wasn’t occupied yet, we still hoped to come back and rebuild everything. But each day that hope faded a little more. And now… now there are only ruins,” Valentyna says, her voice trembling.

Recently, the family moved from Poberezhka to the nearby village of Medvyn, where they bought a new house. They are gradually settling in — clearing the yard and vegetable garden, installing a boiler to stay warm through the winter, and adjusting to their new rural life.

“We often go out for coffee at lunchtime. It’s become our new tradition. When the coffee starts brewing and that delicious aroma fills the air, we all come together,” says Valentyna. “We even line up for it!” adds Zhenia, laughing.

They celebrate holidays together as well — with Valentyna’s son coming home from service and Zhenia’s parents visiting from Poberezhka.

The family never had a coffee machine before. “We probably wouldn’t have bought one ourselves — not because we couldn’t afford it, but because we didn’t even imagine what a wonderful thing it was,” they share. “And now we laugh and think — how did we ever live without it?”

Valentyna’s granddaughters are talented pianists who now study at a relocated college from Siverskodonetsk. Their teachers say the girls are gifted, and the family does everything possible to ensure their studies are both safe and comfortable.

Valentyna’s family is among those who received coffee machines and care kits from Miele, a home appliance manufacturer, and flavored coffee from Coffeeton. For them, coffee is not just a drink — it has become a ritual of communication, warmth, and a symbol of home. For people who were forced to leave everything behind, this simple ritual carries much deeper meaning. Sometimes, a cup of coffee holds much more warmth and love than it seems.

In the spring of this year, the East SOS Charity Foundation delivered 80 kg of coffee, 40 coffee machines, and 40 sets of special care tablets from Miele and Coffeeton. This assistance reached families of internally displaced people from the Donetsk, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions, as well as residents of the support spaces of the NGO Save Ukraine in Kyiv, Hatne, and Irpin (Kyiv region), and Kamianka-Buzka (Lviv region).

We sincerely thank the companies for their partnership and support of people in difficult circumstances. Your help becomes a backbone for those who are rebuilding their lives, and your humanity restores faith in people even in the darkest times.

Recently, we have shared the story of Volodymyr from Toretsk.