Maria (name changed) is a 20-year-old trans* woman from Dnipro. When the full-scale invasion began, she had to flee her hometown, escaping danger, fear, and complete uncertainty. “I was on the road with no clear plan and no sense of safety,” she recalls. “It was a very vulnerable time.”
Her lifeline was a shelter for trans* people in Odesa, where she found not only a roof over her head, but also acceptance, community support, and access to basic essentials — things that were truly life-saving in that moment.
Much of this support came through the VirusOFF emergency response project, supported by ViiV Healthcare Positive Action. “They helped me with medication, food, and basic supplies — things that are incredibly hard to access when you’re in a new city, with no stable income, living in constant anxiety,” Maria shares.
Even more important to her was the emotional support. “I could finally exhale. They helped me come out of the state of disorientation and fear I’d been in since the war started,” she says.
Now Maria is taking new steps in life — more confidently this time — because she knows that even in the darkest moment, there are people ready to stand by her.
This material was prepared as part of the VirusOFF Emergency Response Project funded 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.