Serhiy and Tatyana Orlov

Serhiy and Tetiana Orlovs settled in the shelter in January 2023. They had to leave their home in Oleshky due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. The couple’s house was flooded. They spent a whole day under shelling, waiting in the attic, until they were evacuated from the city by boat. It was one of the worst days of their lives.

“The water started rising around six in the morning. By 11, it had completely covered me. I gathered the documents, a few belongings, and took them to the attic. There, my wife and I waited for a day until we were evacuated. We saw with our own eyes how the clay houses were submerged in water. We know that one person died like that. Now, no one knows what has happened to our house or if there will be anywhere to return to,” shares Serhiy Volodymyrovych.

Tetiana Mykhailivna confirms her husband’s words and adds that it was very scary, but despite the fear, her beloved dared to save the dog. The neighbors had left the house and left the dog tied up. Serhiy heard the dog’s whining and without hesitation, he jumped into the icy water and pulled it onto the roof of a nearby chicken coop. Later, he swam back to it to feed the poor animal.

With a smile, the couple recalls their life before the war. In her youth, Tetiana worked as a cook and later became the director of school cafeterias. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and makes beautiful dresses for her little grandchildren.

Serhiy, on the other hand, is passionate about Ukrainian literature and loves to reread the poems of Kobzar. This love for literature was passed down to him by his father. In his youth, he was a musician and played the accordion. He worked for a long time at a shipbuilding plant in Kherson. Later, he worked as a security guard in a supermarket, and while working at a store warehouse, he met his love—Tetiana.

Together, they have been walking side by side for 14 years, and 5 years ago, on Valentine’s Day, Serhiy proposed to Tetiana. The couple has four children and already quite a few grandchildren. Everyone who sees them is genuinely happy for them and calls them “doves” because they still walk hand in hand and call each other sweet names.

“Serhiy is calm and thoughtful, while I’m active and determined. I guess that’s how it should be in a couple, to complement each other. We have a tradition of speaking gently, calling each other ‘sunshine’ or ‘bunny.’ If I address him as ‘Serhiy Volodymyrovych,’ he asks, ‘Did I do something wrong?’ and I say, ‘No, everything’s fine, it just slipped out,'” says the woman with a smile.

The Orlovs are very grateful to Caritas for the roof over their heads, and to the staff for the care and support they feel every day:

“Caritas is the best shelter. We are very lucky to have ended up here, because we live as if under God’s protection. We never thought that strangers, who don’t know us at all, would do so much good and give us so much attention. We’ve never met such people. They radiate goodness and love. We are very grateful for everything!”