success. >> alex lujan on the right here may not look like she's honing her professional skills, but it's her birthday party where she works as an administrative assistant, and fitting in is part of the job. i wanted to do public policy law for a long time. it kind of went on the back burner. now that i am back here i am learning again. >> reporter: alex graduated from cal two years ago and taught philadelphia with a non-profit called citizen schools. but when we first met her in 2008 she was an honor student at independence high in san jose. a foster kid and much more than a big sister to her brothers. they were living with an aunt. their fourth home in about a year. but they had been the road for a long time. >> when things were hard with your mom, what would you tell them? >> it will get better. >> reporter: she was the mother. she was the nurturer. she made sure their clothes were clean. she took over when their mom developed a drug and alcohol problem. there was no money. >> sometimes like it would just be like we'd eat maybe one meal a day at home and get free lunch. >> reporte

. >> i underline that it is impossible to win the war in the cities of lujan's and.net -- luh ansk and donetsk using military means alone. the more trips that are brought up there, the more that come from the russian federation. >> on sunday, the army released 28 captives, and the separatists release the same number. residents near donetsk say they are relieved that the prospect of fighting in the area is winding down. >> i don't favor one side of authorities or the other. i just want peace for my children and grandchildren. i want life. that is all. >> the withdrawal of artillery could be the first step towards peace for this war-ravaged region. >> and let's see how that is going. we are joined live from kiev with katie logan. has there been any progress in the implementing of the withdrawal of this heavy weaponry from the front lines on both sides? >> not that we know of. there was interesting language by the defense ministry, saying that they are preparing to withdraw it. it only takes about five minutes to do, and they have been procrastinating for several days now. i think they ar

. >> ongoing fighting in the east of ukraine, in particular around donetsk, lujan's, and neighboring towns, is driving people from their homes and increasing the need for humanitarian aid. the number of people displaced has more than doubled in the past month. >> the u.n. refugee agency says in total, more than one million ukrainians have fled their homes. >> let's get the latest from kiev. our correspondent is standing by. we are hearing about masses of refugees fleeing the fighting in eastern ukraine. what more can you tell us? >> yes, that figure of more than one million was of concern by the united nations for the first time today. many of the refugees are also moving eastward, many westward, and many are displaced within the country. and here in kiev, they are met with quite a bit of solidarity for the local population. if you are a refugee in ukraine, that does not mean you necessarily get state support. i spoke to a couple of refugees from the city of the hot and the donetsk region today. one of the private initiatives where people get blankets, clothing, all of the things tha

. >> there are 12 practical steps to establish peace and stability in part of the donetsk and lujan -hansk region of ukraine. with respect to the territorial independence of ukraine has we said this is the key issue now the basis forking finding a peaceful solution of the crisis on the east of ukraine. >> but even after the signing, pro-russian leaders warning their separatists ambitions are undimmed. >> translator: this does not mean that our aim to break up ukraine is over, no. the ceasefire is just a necessary step in order to stop bloodshed. >> reporter: there has been significant bloodshed over the past five months. a million are estimated to have fled their homes in the face of artillery and rocket attacks. on the front lines outside of the southern city of mariupol, news of the ceasefire agreement coincited with -- coincided with a barrage of rockets. the soldiers remain skeptical here. >> translator: in the end there is also peace, but under which conditions. if the separatists put down their weapons, then i don't have a problem. >> reporter: after five months of bitter fighti