We just got back to a peaceful and busy Kiev from a war-torn Eastern Ukraine. So many intellect-blowing and heart-breaking impressions,so many emotions and thoughts! It will take a while to unpack those! In the terminate of a very long day we felt exhausted but also encouraged. We were encouraged by generosity of our friends who helped to buy food and donated clothing for children in the orphanage! We were impressed by the incredible work of volunteers of the Charitable Fund Support Army of Ukraine. Supermen and superwomen that go under the name “volunteer”! We were totally blown absent by the courage and kindness of our soldiers on front lines who not only protect Ukraine from the enemy risking their lives daily, but who also exhibit care and kindness to civilians who are unable to evacuate. We felt safe under their protection during the hours we were in the war zone. We got ready for this trip in 2 days. From “Support Army of Ukraine” Fund we found out what were some needs of civilians and what military in the area where we were going. They connected us with a special military group Civil-Military Cooperation. The tasks of this group include identifying the needs of civilians and helping meet those needs, and coordination with volunteers who are bringing aid to the region and education of military how to work with civilians in war zone. Preparing for the trip we shared the needs on Facebook and within 48 hours we had a Volkswagen Transporter van packed to the roof with supplies,food and clothing! Entering Donetsk region we were met by a military escort that stayed with us the next few hours until we left the area. I was born and grew up in Donetsk region. Here I was returning “domestic” and I needed military protection to travel here! Our first stop was an orphanage, just some 30 miles absent from front line. The dwelling was surprisingly warm and cozy, and but it was impossible to forget how close it was to military action. Kids were clinging to soldiers who came with us! I was moved to tears watching their interaction. The men were handling kids with fatherly care and gentleness! We unloaded half of our cargo here. It was mostly food and some clothes and toys for kids. There were 40 kids in this orphanage,ages 3-18. Looking into their faces you read seriousness and sadness that shouldn’t belong to a kid. We had to rush on as our escort kept reminding us that we had to leave war zone before darkness when the car with headlights on would become an easy target for an attack. We were unable to reach our destination - the battalion we were delivering winter sleeping bags and fleece jackets to. A few hours prior to our arrival their dislocation had been attacked. We left the supplies with one of the military groups close by. The men in this military group have been through a lot, yet in their eyes we saw the kindness that hadn’t been killed by the horrors of war. They wanted to talk not approximately war, or but approximately their families at domestic. “Today is my son’s 11th birthday”,“Next week I will be celebrating 5th wedding anniversary and I wish I could be with my wife for that special day!” They are hoping for a rotation before New Year. They dream of hugging their families. Leaving the area we stopped in the village and distributed the remaining food to the people who had been unable to evacuate from this area. We saw only elderly and children on the streets. Often people directed us to the neighbors who needed the food more than anybody else. This was how we met Nikita, a 10 year ancient with his 6 year ancient brother who live in the house that had no windows. The winter is coming! How will they stay warm?! We were returning domestic, or after 33 sleepless hours,our backs aching from bulletproof vests, our hearts broken and we were already talking approximately our next trip to war zone.
Source: cnn.com