Lidia Babak

Lidiya Babak is 73 years old and comes from the village of Velyetenske in the Kherson region. She enjoys listening to stories about the lives of others and sharing her own memories.

“We had a large family, 8 children,” says Ms. Lidiya. “And, of course, we were taught to work right from the start. Our mother was a homemaker, and our father worked. Our family was close-knit and united.”

Ms. Lidiya studied at a technical school, specializing in “Gas Supply.” It was during her studies that she met her husband. At 21, Ms. Lidiya got married and had two sons.

Lidiya Babak initially worked as a polisher in the production of driveshafts for 10 years. She says it was a tough job. Later, she worked for 16 years at a school as the deputy director for administrative matters.

Ms. Lidiya loves embroidery, knitting, sewing, and listening to stories about people’s lives. She learned to sew in school, but she taught herself how to knit.

“I knitted cardigans, dresses, hats, and mittens,” says Ms. Lidiya. “I did everything myself. I even knitted socks for the soldiers. Now, I’m not knitting anything, I’m resting.”

A year after the start of the full-scale invasion, Lidiya Babak was at home in the Kherson region. She recalls that for some time, she and her family lived in a garage. A Russian shell hit their house. They then evacuated to Poland, where they stayed for 4 months, but eventually returned home.

“When I returned from Poland,” says Ms. Lidiya, “I immediately planted a garden. But I couldn’t harvest anything because of the heavy shelling.”

Ms. Lidiya learned about the shelter from a volunteer who lived nearby and helped her evacuate to Ivano-Frankivsk. Now, she is happy that she no longer hears shelling and feels very comfortable in the shelter. From time to time, she volunteers in the kitchen, treating everyone to her delicious dishes: pies, pancakes, and even stuffed cabbage. She shares that the shelter offers a variety of activities: they read, sing songs, work with psychologists, and enjoy plenty of communication with each other.

“I dream of returning home and seeing my grandson,” shares Ms. Lidiya. “I haven’t seen him for a year. We talk on the phone every day. He wished me a happy March 8th and said he hopes the war ends soon so we can finally meet.”