Inna comes from the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine. She was born with hip dysplasia, a condition that worsened after the birth of her son and, in 2014, led her to start using a wheelchair. She vividly remembers the moment the war began.  

“At 6 in the morning, my son came to me and said, ‘Mom, the war has started. Within a minute, I heard explosions.” Inna recalls. “It was a shock — to have lived a peaceful life, and then suddenly, war.”  

Uprooted from her home 

Evacuations began for people with disabilities and the elderly in the village. “They took us to a home for the elderly and left us there,” Inna continues, “Then the staff said: ‘We’ll admit you here as a person with a first-degree disability, but we can’t keep your son — he has to leave.’ But where would he go?”  

So, the family decided to go abroad. They found contacts of volunteers who quickly responded and organised their travel to Bucharest. Since March 30, 2022, they have been living there permanently. “The hardest part was not knowing the language,” Inna remembers. “We were afraid of everything — people, stores, unfamiliar places… It’s much easier now. I’m learning the language online. I feel like I’ve adapted.” 

Finding care and support in Romania 

Inna learned about JRS Romania from another Ukrainian with a disability. “Through the medical support programme run by JRS Romania, we’ve been able to purchase pain medication, which I need constantly because I have osteoporosis. I’ve also undergone necessary medical examinations. This kind of support is vital for us. My disability pension is just enough to cover rent and utilities. There’s barely anything left for food. My son can’t work much, as I can’t manage even basic daily tasks without him. Right now, there’s hardly any assistance available for Ukrainians, even for those in vulnerable situations like ours. So this program truly felt like a miracle for us.”  

“I will never forget how the Romanian people welcomed us at the border,” she recalls, tears welling up in her eyes. “They supported us, gave us food and clothing. And that feeling of safety — no gunfire, no explosions, nothing flying overhead.” 

It was volunteers who initially helped the family settle in a refugee centre located on the grounds of a home for the elderly. They lived there for eight months, and later found housing through Romania’s state support programme. “I’m endlessly grateful for that. That during such a difficult time in our lives, in a foreign country, people have reached out with compassion.”  

Looking ahead 

Inna speaks about the future with a hint of fear in her voice. Her home in Ukraine was looted and later destroyed. She no longer knows where to go or how to rebuild her life. “There’s nowhere for us to return to, even if the war ends,” Inna admits. “But we also won’t be able to stay here forever. I don’t know how to plan for the future, or what to hope for. You just live one day at a time.”  

JRS is working together with the Xavier Network, the Society of Jesus in Europe, local civil society, and NGOs in a coordinated Jesuit response to the Ukraine crisis. Together we help thousands of people like Inna. Read more in the One Proposal Mid-Term Report 2025.