Our Story

Lyudmila Fomenko grew up in the small village of Raipole, Mezhivskiy district, where she attended school and began her working life. She later married and had a family, but fate had other plans. After a difficult birth, Lyudmila soon discovered that she had given birth to a child with a disability, now a 23-year-old boy named Stas, who she lovingly calls her “little adult son”.

The reality of raising a child with special needs was not easy for Lyudmila. She struggled with society’s lack of acceptance and understanding for children like Stas. His condition is serious and he is unable to study or make friends, leaving him dependent on his parents for companionship. In an effort to help her son adapt to society, Lyudmila began taking him out more frequently.

Lyudmila recalls the heart-wrenching advice the doctors gave her: to renounce her child. They said “this is to last you a lifetime! What for? For constant tears, tantrums, struggle for survival…?” But not even for a moment could she imagine her life without her child.

Today, Lyudmila sees progress in the way society is beginning to accept children with special needs and the government is becoming more responsive to the needs of their parents. But the war brought new fears and anxieties for her family. As explosions rocked the airfields and incoming shells rained down on their community, the Fomenko family, who lived in a small house near the railway, had to quickly figure out how to keep Stas safe.

For over 10 years, Stas has been attending the MERCY rehabilitation center in Pokrovsk, where children with special needs learn to communicate and socialize. The center has a long-standing partnership with the Metinvest company. Before the war, the company had implemented projects such as a computer lab, new sports equipment and a playground for the children at the center. The children are also given gifts and invited to concerts and other educational events at the local community center.

Lyudmila believes that during war time, all efforts should be directed towards humanitarian aid. As a parent of a special needs child, she is deeply grateful to the Metinvest company and the Saving Lives humanitarian project for their support and hopes for continued cooperation in the future.