When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Jenny Penn-Barwell from the UK decided to shelter Ukrainians in her home. That’s how she met a woman named Oksana and her daughters, Yara and Elena.
Oksana, Elena, and Yara lived at Penn-Barwell House in Eastleigh, Hampshire, for 1.5 years. Then, the British woman made a critical decision and took out a loan to buy a new house. Now, Oksana rents it in Penn-Barwell.
Ukrainian Oksana moved to the UK from the Kyiv region in 2022 to save her daughters. Her husband joined the AFU to defend Ukraine with a weapon in his hands.
The woman says it was only when she received the keys to her new home that she felt she could stop running away.
Penn-Barwell is a woman with a big heart. She admits she is proud of what she did and doesn’t see how it could have been otherwise.
“It wasn’t that we were too cramped or fighting or anything like that, absolutely not, but I realized they needed their own home. Apparently, it seemed obvious to me because they had nowhere else to rent, and I thought if I could do something, I should do it – I could, so I did,” says the Brit.
Penn-Barwell notes that she is not a wealthy woman at all. She receives a pension from the British National Health Service. However, the woman is happy that she was able to do something useful.
Oksana notices that Penn-Barvel has already become a member of their family. The elderly British woman is fondly referred to as “Grandma.”
