Veronica’s family have moved home six times in the past ten years. And when you’re only 12 years old, that means you’ve been moving around all your life. Displaced from their original home in eastern Ukraine as far back as 2014, they were living in Kharkiv when full-scale war broke out in 2022.

“That city became a target for the Russians,” says Tanya Shpygunova who has been helping this summer. “Veronica spent most of her time in the bomb shelter hiding from rockets, and was unable to play with her friends, go to school or sleep in peace.”

Now Veronica with her mother and brother has found a place of relative safety in Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, while her father helps to evacuate people from front line areas.

“This summer we invited Veronica to our children’s camp and she had the best time of her life,” Tanya says. “She participated in all the activities and made new friends. She heard Bible stories for the first time and talked about God with the campers and leaders.

“Although the war continues and the children face many challenges and worries, they learn that God is always near and will never leave them.”

Veronica and her mum have become part of a church in Irpin. Tanya who works for Serve Now says: “We are so grateful to Blythswood Care for supporting people like Veronica and her family and causing a miracle in their lives.”