27 Mar WELCOME UKRAINIAN WOMEN AND CHILDREN/ITALY
On March 8, after a long journey from Ukraine, a mother with two daughters arrived: a good way to celebrate the Day of the Woman.
They come from the western part, and they had not experienced the horror of the war, the sirens, the bomb shelters, the bombs, the destruction. In fact, they arrived serene, and immediately made friends with the community as if they had always been among us. They tell us about themselves, they show us photos of their house, of their father there, of their life until a short while ago.
They are full of life, of energy, but also have a great need of attention, of care, of serenity.
They had a beautiful house, a good job… and now they are happy living in one room, but safe.
Immediately they endeared themselves to the community. Now we are like a family, with the Eritrean girl who has been with us for a year and a half, with the girls, with their mother… and with each one that arrives, the table expands. And life grows. Our heart becomes wider.
Certainly an emergency of these proportions has found us unprepared, so it is a bit complicated to be sure that they have their documents in order and the medical attention that they need, but we are learning a great deal and sharing with others that have decided to offer hospitality.
And then there are good people who want to help, including our girls in the residence, who are now great friends with the little girls.
Meanwhile, we are trying to get the children involved in activities with others of their age: they are attending a course in Italian and have begun to participate in a choir. They love to sing, in fact, they immediately joined our choir practices and participate with us at Sunday Mass where we provide the music for the celebration.
On the other hand, in the community of Palermo they have received the first people of a group of up to 22 that they have offered to welcome, working in collaboration with the Fondazione Sicilia… they are a gift.
Tiziana
