Inna from Chernihiv, Ukraine, hid in a dark bomb shelter under the Catholic church in her neighborhood with her son Pavlyk and several other mothers and children. Around them, bombs fell, and the city shook. Some cried. Others prayed. 

And then, in the midst of the silence after an explosion, three-year-old Pavlyk began to laugh. 

"With his childish laughter, he drowned out the sound of the explosions. He didn't understand what was happening, he was just having fun. People started smiling, and the focus shifted to my son and away from the fear. The childish laughter saved us from what was happening outside." 

Inna and Pavlyk stayed in their hometown through the first, harsh months of the war. There was little food, no heat, and sometimes no clean water. Many times they had to run for cover, sleep on hard floors, and wait for hours for the air raid sirens to go off. 

Two years later, Pavlyk and Inna were in Kyiv seeking medical attention. Pavlyk was often ill, and had long-standing health problems that worsened while living in basements without electricity or heat. They were in the waiting room of the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital when the rocket hit the building. 

"I remember the alarm, and then I don't remember anything until I wake up to someone shouting. Pavlyk was lying next to me, fortunately unharmed. There was glass everywhere, and we saw people covered in blood. We escaped with bruises, but the experience left deep marks." 

After this, Pavlyk became silent. He struggled with his speech and began to stutter. He became afraid of loud noises and the dark. 

Through Caritas Inna and Pavlyk were offered a stay in the mountains. Two weeks of psychological help, community, and peace. Here there are no dangers or bomb shelters. Here children can laugh and play in safe surroundings. 

“Pavlyk tells me, ‘Mom, there are no alarms here.’ He sleeps better. And when he smiles, I think of that night in the bomb shelter. That laughter can save lives.” 

Inna points up to a small skylight in their room. “We call it the window to the sky. At night, we look up and remind ourselves that there is light, even when everything seems dark. And that children like Pavlyk deserve to grow up in peace.” 

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