Their Stories
Millions of women and their children have fled Ukraine since the invasion more than a year ago.
These mothers and children have endured tremendous loss since the Russian invasion. They faced unimaginable fear while making the heartbreaking decision to leave their homes and husbands behind to bravely escape to safety in Poland and other neighboring countries.
The following are the accounts of some of those who escaped and are now being helped by the Future for Ukraine center.
Amalia’s Story.
My name is Amalia, I am 13 and from Kharkiv.
One day I was in school, I did my homework and went to bed. At 5 o’clock in the morning my mother woke me up and I was a little scared because I did not understand what was happening. My mum said we had to leave. When I went to the window, in the distance I saw smoke, something had exploded there. When we tried to leave, we heard a lot of explosions. I had no idea what awaited us. There were sounds of gunshots in the distance. It was only 10 o’clock in the morning!
Planes were visible, flying above us and the building was shaking. We sat waiting for it to end. The worst was the frequent air alarm. We fell asleep at night in our building’s cellar and woke up from very strong explosions and shots. We were all scared.
In the morning we packed our backpacks and decided to leave, by train – without Dad, he was not released from the city. We went to the station; I sat looking around. One thing was spinning in my head, I really wanted to leave and for everything to be ok. We waited with him for two hours. It was very cold, snowing, raining and we could hear shooting.
To calm people down or scare them, the soldier fired a couple of shots in the air. It was loud and scary, and we were very close. My seven-year-old sister Anita was crying and screaming, and I could not help myself. We heard a plane flying closely above us and then boom! The plane dropped a bomb across the street. We ran into the subway. All the people who were with us on the platform ran to the subway. It was a stampede.
We knew we had to leave in any way possible, even if we had to spend day and night at the train station. In the morning, it was nearly impossible to get into the station. There were a lot of people on the train platform and on the train, but we finally departed!!! We went to Lviv on a very long, 25-hour journey. All the time we were sitting up and not being able to move because it was so crowded. But it was good because we left Kharkiv. In Lviv, there were many people and buses. Sometimes we sat on our bag. We did not have food then, and it was difficult because we were hungry. We drove through the mountains, and I felt ill.
At the station, there were very kind people and volunteers who helped us and gave us food and sweets (we save them for later that night). My grandmother had problems with her documents, but they helped us solve the problem. We managed to catch a train to Warsaw. It was scary because we do not know the language. We are all fine now, but my father and grandfather are still in Ukraine…
As a result of this massacre, people were forced to flee and leave their country. There they began to look for a temporary shelter, a shelter for their families, if only to be able to stay in peace day and night without fear for their lives.
Poland became the first country to open its borders to war-driven Ukrainians. There was an endless search for a roof over your head, a place where you can stop temporarily, recover.
The Future for Ukraine center has become one of such homes for Ukrainians. A friendly, compassionate and caring atmosphere welcomes people here.
A lot of effort is put into helping children: get out of stress, overcome anxiety, depression, develop as a person and hone their talents. There are two lounges in the center. Throughout the week, teachers spend time with children in the common room, who try to find an individual approach to each child, help children adapt, try to integrate the educational and social spheres of children using various creative and constructive methods. At the same time creating an atmosphere of harmonious and fruitful work in groups.
–Nazar, CENTER RESIDENT
I came from Ukraine to Poland when the war started. I have three brothers, one sister and a second sister on the way.
I have been living in Oltarzew at the Future for Ukraine center since October.
My mom tells me my dad is dead, fighting for our country’s freedom.
Mom has a job now and I am learning Polish to join the regular school and make friends in the neighborhood.
I thank the Future for Ukraine and pray for an end to this war.
Dima, 10 YEARS OLD
Life is divided into “before” and “after.” Until February 24, 2022, I had a perfect life, I worked in a cafe, I studied fashion design, I went to drama school, I walked with my friends. I had a happy family. But that day we lost everything.
My home, my school, destroyed by a tyrant. My father left to fight in the war. As the tanks came to our town we decided to save our lives and we left on a train not knowing where we would end up.
Me, my mother, brother and sister were welcomed at the Future for Ukraine center so warmly. We have our own rooms here, meals are provided, there are educational clubs and courses. I want to thank all of the volunteers for trying to bring us back to normal life.
Marharita, RESIDENT
I have been living in Poland for 11 months. During this time, I changed three schools because we moved a lot.
The place where we live now is very good for me because I have my own room and a common room.
Thank you to those people who help us here.
Illa, 8 YEARS OLD
We who stay here call the center, “Future for Ukraine,” which is very symbolic because we are all trying to build our future and the future of our children here. The center has everything that is necessary for life.
– Irena, CENTER RESIDENT