Working with accommodation centers, TSF provides connectivity for people displaced by the war in Ukraine. This free Wi-Fi can enable people to talk to their loved ones, find information, study or work.
07 April 2026
Meet Valentina, a 76 years old displaced Ukrainian woman living in a temporary shelter. She shared how the Internet enables her to access important information and communicate with her loved ones, and what she’s looking forward to.
TSF in Ukraine
Could you introduce yourself?
My name is Valentina. I am 76 years old. I came here two months ago, and I live in a dormitory.
Was there Wi-Fi when you arrived here?
Yes, there was Wi-Fi. People helped me connect, and now I use it. Before that, I used mobile internet, which gives you 25 megabytes. I used to save it so that it would last, but now I don't even look at the megabytes because there is this endless Wi-Fi internet.
My children are in the Czech Republic, how would I communicate with them? I just couldn't.
What is most interesting to you on the Internet?
I don't like politics, I scroll past that. But I like everyday stuff; cooking shows, things about health, if there's something useful to read, like about varicose veins, or blood pressure, how to use a tonometer, [a glucometer], or something. I listen, I watch. I measure my blood sugar, everything. They show it directly, and I use it.
We're used to the Internet now, I can't even imagine how we lived before. Without phone calls, let alone mobile internet. My children are in the Czech Republic, how would I communicate with them? I just couldn't. But we call each other via the internet, and on video, of course.
My great-granddaughter was born there. We've been planning to go for a year. She was born on December 3 [2024]. So, maybe, if everything goes well… I’ve got a foreign passport here. Now we're waiting for her anniversary on December 3. We want to go on that day.
(Your great-granddaughter!) Yes, I know. I'm 76 and my son is already 54 years old.
“The Internet is a whole new galaxy.”
What does the internet bring to your life?
Well, you see, it's so boring here, there's nothing anywhere. Only when someone comes to visit, doctors for example, do we go. Otherwise, everyone just sits in their rooms. So you learn something new; of course, it’s useful. It's good that at least there's the internet, and you can find educational stuff. One thing or another. You think, oh my God, I've lived this long and didn't know that. And now, just like that, I found out.
There's a whole new galaxy. Just when you have nothing to do. You can open it, and you know, it's like reading a book on the road. If you were paying, then you would be stuck.
Read more on TSF's response in Ukraine:
