When the war began, Mariia’s daughter — Afina — was only eight months old. The family left Kherson region for what seemed to be a safer Kryvyi Rih. But on 4 April 2025, a russian missile struck a residential neighbourhood exactly at the moment when children were playing on the playground! This tragedy claimed the lives of nine little ones! Afina, who was four at the time, miraculously survived, but sustained severe injuries. Ahead were long months of treatment and recovery, as some fragments still remain in her body.

The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation immediately extended a helping hand — it arranged a rehabilitation course for Mariia and Afina at the Borzhava sanatorium in Zakarpattia. There they received not only medical support, but also the feeling that even in the hardest times there are people ready to help.