Lydia is 65 years old. She arrived from Mykolayiv in April 2022 with her family, which includes her youngest daughter and grandson. Due to constant shelling, they had to take refuge in the basement of their ten-storey building with the entire family. The extreme cold, dust, and moisture in the basement worsened Lydia's grandson's health. He had pre-existing allergies, but the war exacerbated his condition. When the opportunity to leave for Moldova arose, they packed their bags and travelled from Mykolayiv to Chisinau.

"Our lives were saved by coming here." Initially, for a few weeks, they stayed at the refugee center at Moldexpo. Later, they were relocated to a former sanatorium in Botanica, where they continue to reside. Lydia's grandson attends a Ukrainian school online, and the sanatorium provides a computer class for this purpose. Due to hearing problems, they had to buy their grandson a phone so he could study from their room without headphones.

Lydia's grandson is only 8 years old and is from a generation that is "comfortable" with gadgets. However, to assist her grandson when needed, Lydia decided to attend a university course for older persons at the UNFPA-supported programme "University of the Third Age." These courses for Lydia are not just about acquiring new skills; they also help her build connections.

This summer, they had planned to return to their hometown of Mykolayiv. They wanted their grandson to attend his school and interact in person with his classmates. They had even sent most of their belongings back to Mykolayiv from Chisinau. However, they had to postpone their departure due to the ongoing danger of shelling in the city. Additionally, Mykolayiv is facing issues with leaking salty technical water in its pipes. As it turned out, they would need to replace the entire system to return home. This situation forced them to stay in Chisinau under temporary protection until March 1, 2024. Despite this, every evening before going to bed, Lidia reads the news and hopes that she will soon hear that the war is over and they can return home.

"When we arrived, we didn't remove the house keys from our bundle just in case the war ended. It's an obsession - I read the news before I go to bed and hope to hear that we can go back. How can life come to a standstill? We can't stop and stand still because I have a grandson."

Read more stories within Life on Pause series here: https://moldova.unfpa.org/en/life-pause-story-human-resilience-and-adaptation

Lydia is 65 years old. She arrived from Mykolayiv in April 2022 with her family, which includes her youngest daughter and grandson. Due to constant shelling, they had to take refuge in the basement of their ten-storey building with the entire family. The extreme cold, dust, and moisture in the basement worsened Lydia's grandson's health. He had pre-existing allergies, but the war exacerbated his condition. When the opportunity to leave for Moldova arose, they packed their bags and travelled from Mykolayiv to Chisinau.

"Our lives were saved by coming here." Initially, for a few weeks, they stayed at the refugee center at Moldexpo. Later, they were relocated to a former sanatorium in Botanica, where they continue to reside. Lydia's grandson attends a Ukrainian school online, and the sanatorium provides a computer class for this purpose. Due to hearing problems, they had to buy their grandson a phone so he could study from their room without headphones.

Lydia's grandson is only 8 years old and is from a generation that is "comfortable" with gadgets. However, to assist her grandson when needed, Lydia decided to attend a university course for older persons at the UNFPA-supported programme "University of the Third Age." These courses for Lydia are not just about acquiring new skills; they also help her build connections.

This summer, they had planned to return to their hometown of Mykolayiv. They wanted their grandson to attend his school and interact in person with his classmates. They had even sent most of their belongings back to Mykolayiv from Chisinau. However, they had to postpone their departure due to the ongoing danger of shelling in the city. Additionally, Mykolayiv is facing issues with leaking salty technical water in its pipes. As it turned out, they would need to replace the entire system to return home. This situation forced them to stay in Chisinau under temporary protection until March 1, 2024. Despite this, every evening before going to bed, Lidia reads the news and hopes that she will soon hear that the war is over and they can return home.

"When we arrived, we didn't remove the house keys from our bundle just in case the war ended. It's an obsession - I read the news before I go to bed and hope to hear that we can go back. How can life come to a standstill? We can't stop and stand still because I have a grandson."

Read more stories within Life on Pause series here: https://moldova.unfpa.org/en/life-pause-story-human-resilience-and-adaptation

Lydia is 65 years old. She arrived from Mykolayiv in April 2022 with her family, which includes her youngest daughter and grandson. Due to constant shelling, they had to take refuge in the basement of their ten-storey building with the entire family. The extreme cold, dust, and moisture in the basement worsened Lydia's grandson's health. He had pre-existing allergies, but the war exacerbated his condition. When the opportunity to leave for Moldova arose, they packed their bags and travelled from Mykolayiv to Chisinau.

"Our lives were saved by coming here." Initially, for a few weeks, they stayed at the refugee center at Moldexpo. Later, they were relocated to a former sanatorium in Botanica, where they continue to reside. Lydia's grandson attends a Ukrainian school online, and the sanatorium provides a computer class for this purpose. Due to hearing problems, they had to buy their grandson a phone so he could study from their room without headphones.

Lydia's grandson is only 8 years old and is from a generation that is "comfortable" with gadgets. However, to assist her grandson when needed, Lydia decided to attend a university course for older persons at the UNFPA-supported programme "University of the Third Age." These courses for Lydia are not just about acquiring new skills; they also help her build connections.

This summer, they had planned to return to their hometown of Mykolayiv. They wanted their grandson to attend his school and interact in person with his classmates. They had even sent most of their belongings back to Mykolayiv from Chisinau. However, they had to postpone their departure due to the ongoing danger of shelling in the city. Additionally, Mykolayiv is facing issues with leaking salty technical water in its pipes. As it turned out, they would need to replace the entire system to return home. This situation forced them to stay in Chisinau under temporary protection until March 1, 2024. Despite this, every evening before going to bed, Lidia reads the news and hopes that she will soon hear that the war is over and they can return home.

"When we arrived, we didn't remove the house keys from our bundle just in case the war ended. It's an obsession - I read the news before I go to bed and hope to hear that we can go back. How can life come to a standstill? We can't stop and stand still because I have a grandson."

Read more stories within Life on Pause series here: https://moldova.unfpa.org/en/life-pause-story-human-resilience-and-adaptation

Lydia is 65 years old. She arrived from Mykolayiv in April 2022 with her family, which includes her youngest daughter and grandson. Due to constant shelling, they had to take refuge in the basement of their ten-storey building with the entire family. The extreme cold, dust, and moisture in the basement worsened Lydia's grandson's health. He had pre-existing allergies, but the war exacerbated his condition. When the opportunity to leave for Moldova arose, they packed their bags and travelled from Mykolayiv to Chisinau.

"Our lives were saved by coming here." Initially, for a few weeks, they stayed at the refugee center at Moldexpo. Later, they were relocated to a former sanatorium in Botanica, where they continue to reside. Lydia's grandson attends a Ukrainian school online, and the sanatorium provides a computer class for this purpose. Due to hearing problems, they had to buy their grandson a phone so he could study from their room without headphones.

Lydia's grandson is only 8 years old and is from a generation that is "comfortable" with gadgets. However, to assist her grandson when needed, Lydia decided to attend a university course for older persons at the UNFPA-supported programme "University of the Third Age." These courses for Lydia are not just about acquiring new skills; they also help her build connections.

This summer, they had planned to return to their hometown of Mykolayiv. They wanted their grandson to attend his school and interact in person with his classmates. They had even sent most of their belongings back to Mykolayiv from Chisinau. However, they had to postpone their departure due to the ongoing danger of shelling in the city. Additionally, Mykolayiv is facing issues with leaking salty technical water in its pipes. As it turned out, they would need to replace the entire system to return home. This situation forced them to stay in Chisinau under temporary protection until March 1, 2024. Despite this, every evening before going to bed, Lidia reads the news and hopes that she will soon hear that the war is over and they can return home.

"When we arrived, we didn't remove the house keys from our bundle just in case the war ended. It's an obsession - I read the news before I go to bed and hope to hear that we can go back. How can life come to a standstill? We can't stop and stand still because I have a grandson."

Read more stories within Life on Pause series here: https://moldova.unfpa.org/en/life-pause-story-human-resilience-and-adaptation

Lydia is 65 years old. She arrived from Mykolayiv in April 2022 with her family, which includes her youngest daughter and grandson. Due to constant shelling, they had to take refuge in the basement of their ten-storey building with the entire family. The extreme cold, dust, and moisture in the basement worsened Lydia's grandson's health. He had pre-existing allergies, but the war exacerbated his condition. When the opportunity to leave for Moldova arose, they packed their bags and travelled from Mykolayiv to Chisinau.

"Our lives were saved by coming here." Initially, for a few weeks, they stayed at the refugee center at Moldexpo. Later, they were relocated to a former sanatorium in Botanica, where they continue to reside. Lydia's grandson attends a Ukrainian school online, and the sanatorium provides a computer class for this purpose. Due to hearing problems, they had to buy their grandson a phone so he could study from their room without headphones.

Lydia's grandson is only 8 years old and is from a generation that is "comfortable" with gadgets. However, to assist her grandson when needed, Lydia decided to attend a university course for older persons at the UNFPA-supported programme "University of the Third Age." These courses for Lydia are not just about acquiring new skills; they also help her build connections.

This summer, they had planned to return to their hometown of Mykolayiv. They wanted their grandson to attend his school and interact in person with his classmates. They had even sent most of their belongings back to Mykolayiv from Chisinau. However, they had to postpone their departure due to the ongoing danger of shelling in the city. Additionally, Mykolayiv is facing issues with leaking salty technical water in its pipes. As it turned out, they would need to replace the entire system to return home. This situation forced them to stay in Chisinau under temporary protection until March 1, 2024. Despite this, every evening before going to bed, Lidia reads the news and hopes that she will soon hear that the war is over and they can return home.

"When we arrived, we didn't remove the house keys from our bundle just in case the war ended. It's an obsession - I read the news before I go to bed and hope to hear that we can go back. How can life come to a standstill? We can't stop and stand still because I have a grandson."

Read more stories within Life on Pause series here: https://moldova.unfpa.org/en/life-pause-story-human-resilience-and-adaptation