Iryna (name changed), born in 1985, is a single mother from Okhtyrka, Sumy region, raising her 9-year-old son alone. She has been on opioid substitution therapy (OST) for a long time and was striving to maintain a stable life. But the war changed everything.
“In summer 2024, the situation in Sumy region got worse again. Shelling became more frequent, and I started seriously fearing for my son’s safety. Staying in Okhtyrka was no longer an option,” Iryna shares.
In August 2024, through the VirusOFF emergency project supported by ViiV Healthcare Positive Action, she and her son were evacuated — first to Sumy, then to Poltava.
Upon arrival, Iryna received shelter, food, and immediate help with transferring her OST treatment from Okhtyrka. “I was quickly enrolled for outpatient treatment. That was crucial — I needed to start job hunting right away so I could rent a place and provide for my son,” she recalls.
A month later, she applied again — this time for travel expenses to return briefly to Okhtyrka to collect her original medical records, which were needed to continue treatment in Poltava. This trip was also funded.
However, life in Poltava turned out to be more expensive than expected. By winter, Iryna and her son had moved to Merefa, Kharkiv region, to live with her sister. “I just couldn’t afford the rent and other basic expenses anymore,” she said honestly. She hasn’t asked for more help since, though she knows she’s still welcome to.
This material was prepared as part of the VirusOFF Emergency Response Project supported by ViiV Healthcare Positive Action. The project has been operating since march 2022, providing emergency humanitarian and social support through the VirusOFF platform to representatives of HIV key populations and grassroots organizations. To date, more than 1,500 community members have already received assistance through the project.