Leaving their home for the second time in search of safety: the evacuation of a family from Dmytrivka village in the Velykopysarivska community, Sumy region
The border of Sumy region is shelled every day. Living there is now dangerous. Despite their desperation, people are bravely abandoning everything to seek refuge in safer areas within the country, away from the constant threat of explosions and danger.
The emergency team of the Sumy regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross is actively assisting people in need. Regularly, the team travels to the border settlements of the region, providing aid to people who do not have their own transport or are limited in their mobility due to health conditions.
On this occasion, they assisted a family from the village of Dmytrivka with evacuation.
Nadiia and her husband saw volunteers assisting their neighbors in evacuating, but they were still deliberating whether to leave, hoping that the situation would improve. Nevertheless, they kept the phone number of the volunteers just in case. Having already fled once from the very border of the Sumy region, from Lukashivka, considering a second evacuation was even more challenging – it meant venturing into the unknown and leaving behind their home. However, the constant sound of explosions and living in fear made staying even more unbearable. Thus, the family eventually reached out to the volunteers and requested assistance with evacuation.
Carrying small suitcases, their faithful dog Bemba, and their 12-year-old blind cat Hema, Nadiia and Anatoliy were on their way to Okhtyrka a few hours after contacting the volunteers.
“How can I abandon her? She’s so miserable. She’ll be completely lost without me. And my husband said he wouldn’t leave without Bemba at all,” explains Nadiia, holding her pets close.
Already in Okhtyrka, the Ukrainian Red Cross assisted the family in fulfilling their request to reach their relatives in Bohodukhiv. For now, the family will reside further away from the shelling, awaiting the day when the situation at the border improves, enabling them to return home.
We stand by those in need.
