As the head of the municipal economic department, I was responsible for the management of material and technical provisions. When the war started, a lot of decisions had to be made fast. I spent days and nights at my work. Electricity supply to our city was disrupted many times. Within a few days I managed to send my daughters to Poland, to the twin city of Bila Tserkva - Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. They are mentally still under stress. Only people who went through the war can understand how deeply it hurts.

Soon after the mayor ordered all women to leave so I went to meet my children. Today I am thankful not only for the kindness of all people who surround me but also for the valuable experience I get here. As I have tight connections with the Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski municipality, I see the brilliant results that the decentralisation reform may bring in the long-term. Indeed we were on the right way in Bila Tserkva. Our hard work for the city was already paying off. We just needed more time and investments. Thanks to this new experience I am ready to come back and to exploit the results we already achieved. We have a great motivated team, who now better understands why industrial symbiosis and efficient resource-using are important. They were at the heart of our global eco-industrial park program. Such shocks sort of emphasise the values we work for! Ukraine will win and will prove that the country is worth being a member of the EU. It will bring its added value to the benefit of the whole World.