"Now I finally look like all the other kids"
Lena is 13 years old. She and her mother were forced to flee a war-torn frontline area in Ukraine. Their home was destroyed. They had to leave behind almost everything that was familiar to them and everything they owned.
Mother and daughter finally found refuge in a region west of Kyiv. But safety alone doesn’t mean that life will be easy again. For Lena, a new daily routine began in a new place, at a new school, with new classmates.
And with a worry that she could hardly shake.
When the Walk to School Is Hard
Lena was ashamed of her worn-out clothes. She carried her school supplies not in a backpack, but in a plastic bag. Every morning, she went to school fearing that she would look different, stand out, or be excluded.
For a child who has already lost her home, her sense of security, and her possessions, this can be especially difficult: not belonging. Her fear was so great that Lena would have preferred not to go to school at all.
Help That Makes a Difference in Everyday Life
Thanks to humedica’s in-kind donations, Lena received new items she desperately needed: a school backpack, sneakers, a warm jacket, and new clothes.
When she held the items in her hands, her whole face lit up. She gently ran her fingers over the fabric. Then, moved to tears, she said:
“These are things I could only dream of before. Now I finally look just like all the other kids.”
It’s a sentence that shows just how much practical help can mean. For Lena, it wasn’t just clothes, shoes, and a backpack. It was the feeling of being able to go back to school with renewed self-confidence. The feeling of standing out less. The feeling of regaining a bit of normalcy.
More Than Just a Backpack
These new items give Lena back her dignity, self-confidence, and joy in her everyday school life. They help her find her way in an environment that, after fleeing her home and experiencing loss, she must learn to trust again.
This support also means a great deal to her mother. At a time when every day brings new challenges, this help provides significant emotional and financial relief.
Lena’s story shows that in-kind donations can make a real difference in the lives of refugee children. They enable participation. And sometimes they give a child exactly the courage they need to go back to school.
*Name changed to protect the child.