She was only 13 years old.
Irina was removed from her home in Ukraine—her place to belong—due to her parents’ alcoholism and fighting.
She and her sisters were transferred to an orphanage where they stayed up until the outbreak of war in February 2022.
Despite these incredibly difficult circumstances, Irina says she doesn’t regret being taken away. Watch her powerful story to learn why—
Irina adapted to her new life in an orphanage.
Orphanage life for any child isn’t easy, but in Irina’s words, “It was better for me at the orphanage compared to the circumstances that we faced while I was at the house.”
The war in Ukraine began in February 2022. Then, again, everything was different.
Irina, her sisters and their parents were evacuated to Poland from Ukraine.
“It was very hard to accept that we were leaving, because we didn’t know where we were going.”
After a long trip by train and buses, they arrived in Poland at a facility housing 600 orphans refugees from Ukraine.
Initially, the transition from Poland to Poland was difficult.
Irina, who was deeply grateful to still have her three…
