Posts Tagged ‘Ukraine’

A granddaughter in her 30s and grandparents fled the continual bombing of their village in the Eastern part of Ukraine and took a train to Lviv. Another American volunteer, Lou, and I met the train coming in from the East. An administrator at the station went with us to see if there would be any refugees needing help. Lou had prearranged to meet her so he could give assistance to whomever was needing to relocate.

These three stepped off the train. They huddled together on the platform surrounded by their sixteen bags, the only possessions they could take, leaving the rest behind with their old life. The grandfather speaks to the administrator. She makes a long phone call, trying to find them a place in a refugee center. The women start crying, looking desperate. I do not understand Ukrainian, so was not sure if she was making any progress.

After a long twenty minutes, a man and women came over rolling a cart. Apparently the administrator got them into a settlement. Relief all around. We loaded the bags into a large van. The family got inside and Lou and I sat in the back. A new administrator went with us. The driver started going outside of Lviv. I had no idea how long this trip would be.

On the outskirts of the city I saw the result of the air raid two nights ago. There was a field covered with rubble of bricks and household items. They had been family homes just a short time ago. People had been killed in that air raid. We passed through beautiful villages which looked like movie settings, particularly for period dramas. People were in the fields of the numerous farms. Animals grazed in this peaceful setting. Hard to believe drones flew over this area so recently.