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Alona and Olga fled from the war to Ostroleka. "No one refused to help us".

Alona and her 9-year-old son fled from Kharkiv, Olga and her three children, her cousin, mother and sister and her little daughter fled from the town of Krzemieńczuk on the Dnieper River. They were driven from their homeland by the war. In search of safety, they reached Ostrołęka. With tears in their eyes, they told us their stories.

On 24 February 2022, the world faced war. Putin's Russia carried out an aggression against independent Ukraine. Men fought to defend their country, while women and children went on the wandering to seek shelter, help and safety in neighbouring countries.

Refugees have also arrived in Ostrołęka and the municipalities of our county. Among them are Alona and Olga, who have told us their stories. They visited the editorial office of Moja Ostrołęka with smiles on their lips. They were dressed in the colours of Ukraine, but in their eyes you can see sadness, fear and longing for their families and for a free country.

"You could hear gunshots and explosions. Vehicles were being shot at."

Alona in Ukraine worked as an accountant for a pharmaceutical company. She fled to Poland with her 9-year-old son. Her husband stayed in the country. She is now fighting to defend the country. The family lived in Kharkiv, one of the cities most devastated by the Russian invasion. Alona's parents stayed there, having to take care of her elderly grandmother. Her beloved animals - a cat, a dog and a parrot - were also left behind.

- We left Kharkiv by train. Shots and explosions were heard all the way. Vehicles were being shot at. We were accompanied by fear and trepidation, because we did not know whether we too would not become a target. Once we reached Lviv, we were helped by volunteers who transported us free of charge to the Polish border. There, we stood in line for a few hours with the children in our arms, and then, already on Polish territory, we reached Warsaw for free by bus. From there, we were driven to Ostroleka", says Alona.

The beginnings were not easy, but the support from Poles surprised the woman.

- When I arrived, my first thought was that I wanted to go back, but I was surprised by the attitude of Poles, that they treated us so well, that they took care of us, they were very kind and helped us in everything - Alona recalls with tears in her eyes.

They found shelter and care in the municipality of Olszewo-Borki

The woman and her son found shelter with a family in Zabrodzie (Olszewo-Borki municipality). There they have everything they need for everyday life and, above all, they are safe. Alona's son has already gone to school - he goes by bus to the Primary School no. 5 in Ostrołęka. The boy is already 9 years old, he is old enough to realise that something very bad has happened in his country.

- He has seen everything. He knows what happened, I didn't have to explain it to him. He gets a lot out of school, he's happy. He gets to the bus and he manages, he can get along with his friends, a little bit by gestures and a little bit through the translator on the phone," says Alona.

But they still think about home, about their husband. Although the man calls and writes, it is terrible. The war is unpredictable, you do not know what the next day will bring.

- Our house in Kharkiv is still standing, but the shelling is coming from all directions - says Alona and shows us horrifying videos showing the ruins and ruins of her hometown.

Olga fled with her three children, her mother, her cousin, her sister and her baby. "Children were crying, alarm sirens were howling, planes were flying overhead".

Olga lived in the town of Kremenchuk on the Dnieper River. She led a happy life with her husband and worked in a beauty salon. When the war broke out, her husband went off to fight, and she and her family fled in search of a safe haven. Her sister's husband was in Mariupol, one of the most devastated cities in Ukraine, and he told them that they had to flee because he saw that there was no longer any way to get out of besieged Mariupol.

- We left our city by bus, there was no train because the tracks had been destroyed. I and my three children went, my mother, my cousin and my twin sister with her newborn daughter. The evacuation buses were set up, it was very cramped and scary. We could hear the alarm sirens and hear the planes flying overhead. We did not know from which direction the shelling might come. The children were crying, it was 5.00 in the evening when we left, we arrived at the border at 9.00 in the morning," said Olga.

"We received a lot of good, I didn't think it was possible, that people would receive us so kindly"

At the border in Dorohusk it was already fast, the volunteers helped a lot.

- They quickly took the luggage, helped, took care of the children, took them in their arms, gave them sweets, so they would not cry. There was warm coffee and tea waiting for us, so we could warm up. Then to the registration centre, then to Warsaw and then to Łódź, where there was a place to stay overnight. Then again to Warsaw and finally to Ostroleka. We received a lot of good, I did not think it was possible, that people would receive us so kindly. Volunteers and guards helped, there was even an interpreter, they instructed us what to do. A lot of food was prepared for us and for the children. We didn't have to ask, everyone helped right away," says Olga, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Olga and her family live on the Stacja housing estate

Olga's big family moved to the Stacja estate in Ostrołęka. The owner has made the whole upstairs of the house available to them.

- The youngest 2.5-year-old daughter is with Olga and her grandmother, and the boys are studying: The 4.5-year-old is at Przedszkole Miejskie (kindergarten) No. 18, and the 10-year-old at Szkoła Podstawowa (primary school) No. 3. The girl is still tiny, she doesn't understand much, but the older boys know what's going on, they ask when they will come home. I know what they are going through because when I was little, I already fled from the war once. My parents lived in Baku (the capital of Azerbaijan) and when my twin sister and I were 4 years old, my parents had to flee. I was lucky because our plane got there, the other one unfortunately was not so lucky. In 1989, we reached Krzemienieczuk and stayed there. Now history is repeating itself," Olga says sadly.

Alona and Olga thank you for your kind reception and help

Thank you very much for your good heart, for collecting help for our family. We were far from home, but here we found a second home. You have all become family to us! It is very nice, you have big, good hearts, in which there is a place for Ukrainians!
Щиро дякуємо за ваше добре серце і за те, що збираєте допомогу для нашої родини. We were just a few steps away from the place, but then we found another place. All of you have become a great addition to our family! Дуже приємно, у вас велике, добре серце, в якому є місце для українців!

"No one has refused to help us".

Assistance to refugees from Ukraine is organised by local governments, but also by organisations or private individuals. Among them are people from the Poland 2050 Association, who are involved in helping, organising housing and belongings, coordinating support for Ukrainian citizens. The rally organised in Ostrołęka under the banner of 'help for Ukraine' helped a great deal.

- Now, the best thing to do is to register your willingness to help or accept people in the city office. We used to act spontaneously, socially, we had to react quickly. Now, we don't leave our residents behind either, we go and check if they are not being harmed, if they have everything they need, we always try to see how they are living. They have medical care, our doctors are kind and help as much as they can. Nobody has refused to help us - says Małgorzata Pędzich.

There is also help from lawyers and translators, a team of people is working to look for flats and to help with documents that Ukrainians did not manage to take with them when fleeing the war.

- We are entering a period when emotions have subsided a little and the heartbreak has eased a little. We must show that this is not just a heart-felt appeal, but that it is our duty to help, because the Ukrainians are fighting for Europe. Had it not been for their resistance, we might have had to flee or take up arms. Just as the Poles and Piłsudski once stopped Russia, they are doing the same now, tragic history has come full circle - said Jarosław Kossakowski from the Poland 2050 Association.

Jobs are needed! There is an idea for a job fair for Ukrainian citizens

- Poles help us a lot, but we don't want to live on their account. We want to find a job, we want to be independent - say the women with one voice.

In order to give them a chance for a substitute of normality, activists of the association are planning to organise a job fair in the near future.

- We want to organise a job fair. Those who have already been given a PESEL number can be legally employed, and I hope this will soon come to fruition," adds Jarosław Kossakowski.

Easter is coming. Think of people fleeing war

Easter is coming. Will you accept refugees from Ukraine under your roof? Maybe you can offer a home or at least a shared Easter meal? Do you want to help? Volunteer at your city or local council, local associations, work as a volunteer. Help and show your heart! Because good comes back!

Many thanks for the meeting and the moving conversation to Alona and Olga and her cousin, Małgosia Pędzich and Jarosław Kossakowski from the Poland 2050 Association, and Ewa Kacpura - the invaluable translator.

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08:05, 01.04.2022r.