Hanna Vasylivna Lukaniuk was born on January 16, 1942, in the village of Rostoky, and she has lived there her entire life.
Her childhood was very difficult. Born during the war, she admits there was hardly anything to eat. There was only one store in the village of Kuty, and by the time they walked there, there was nothing left to buy. At the age of 5, she would go with her mother to pick blueberries, selling them at the market just to afford a single pancake. It was a tough time as they had to cover many kilometers.
At 6, she went to herd cows for hire. After a month of such work, they would give her one sock’s worth of flour. At 13, she earned a wagon of potatoes, and her joy knew no bounds.
Mrs. Hanna completed 7 grades and evening school. She worked for 12 years at the logging enterprise and collective farm in Putyla. For two days of work, they paid 1 ruble. She also worked for 8 years at the post office.
The couple had no children, and Mrs. Hanna has been alone for the past 14 years since her husband passed away.
She confesses that she was poor back then and is still struggling now. Her pension of 2800 is not enough at all; she spends all the money on medicine, leaving nothing for living expenses.
The assistance package from “Starenki,” brought to her by our partner “Caritas” in that region, is immensely helpful.