Each of our meetings with IDPs is filled with stories that are extremely touching because of people’s courage, bravery, and pain. These stories are rich with tears, love, and hugs. Each of them passes right through us and stays imprinted in our hearts. We continue the cycle of stories of people who were forced to leave their homes because of the war. The fifth is a story about the family of Larysa from Donetsk region:
Larysa, her two daughters and two-year-old granddaughter evacuated to Lviv in April. It is incredibly difficult for her to talk about her experiences, as her tears are pouring down.
“We lived in the Donetsk region, there were already destroyed cities around us, we constantly heard the sounds of explosions, the walls in the house were shaking. The last days we lived in the corridor, according to the “two walls” rule. We slept there, played with our granddaughter, and had a makeshift kitchen. Nights were no longer nights because everything was so loud,” Larysa says.
Larysa cannot forget an incident on a local beach: “I remember how our fellow countryman covered two other people’s children with his body on the beach. There was an explosion, and he covered the children who were playing by the river. They did not have time to take him to the hospital, he died. He covered and saved two other people’s children with his life, but his own children became orphans.”
It was a turning point for their family. Afterwards, the mayor of their town called for everyone to leave, and they decided to evacuate. “We spent 23 hours traveling by bus to Lviv. It was a torment, we have a small child and the bus moved like a bicycle. It was dangerous to drive fast,” Larysa recalls. “At first we lived in a temporary shelter, and now we are living in a shelter provided by the Maltese Relief Service. We are very grateful to everyone who works here, whom we see every day. We are very grateful that they provide free housing, free food, security, and care. You can’t even imagine how valuable this is to us.”
Larysa’s eldest daughter is already raising her own daughter, and her younger daughter is in high school. “Fortunately, we were able to continue our schooling remotely. My parents stayed in Donetsk region. We have contact with them, but the shops are closed. To buy something, you have to stand in line at 2 am. For example, to buy bread. I would not have left them, but my children insisted on leaving,” says Larysa.
Larysa and her family are in Lviv for the first time. “This is a fairy-tale city. It was my dream. I used to read about Lviv in books and saw many pictures. It really is a very beautiful city with very kind people. Speaking of dreams and wishes, we only need victory and peace. This is the only wish. That there is no war, that everyone returns home,” Larysa says with tears.
