For history teacher Irina, ORT’s assistance has been vital as she and her son, Evgeny, relocated to Lithuania from Dnipro following months of conflict that disrupted their lives.

For history teacher Irina, ORT’s assistance has been vital as she and her son, Evgeny, relocated to Lithuania from Dnipro following months of conflict that disrupted their lives.

The pair were forced to leave in the summer after sustained rocket attacks began to adversely affect the 28-year-old’s cerebral palsy. Irina had worked as a history teacher at Jewish School No 144 in Dnipro since 2008. She chose to stay during the early months of the conflict, but when Evgeny’s health began to deteriorate the pair left.

After fleeing to Vilnius, Irina has been unable to work as she cares full time for Evgeny who is still experiencing panic attacks and severe seizures. Initially they found accommodation thanks to a Lithuanian society dedicated to helping those with disabilities, but they were forced to urgently find longer-term accommodation before winter. There are significant housing shortages in Lithuania, with large numbers of Ukrainians having moved to the country.

Irina was familiar with ORT because of the educational support provided to her school and its affiliation to ORT Ukraine over the past 20 years.

Irina said: “We do not dare return to Dnipro yet as the situation is very difficult – shelling continues, people are dying, and the city has problems with the electricity and water supply. Thanks to ORT’s generous funding we have been able to stay in Lithuania. We plan to be here until March at least and look forward to the situation improving back home.”

Irina has also been helped by Lithuania’s Jewish community, with a regular assistance with food and medicine.