Celebrating the Brave Mothers of Ukraine
In observance of Mother’s Day, we ask you to please take a moment to think of the mothers and children of Ukraine. Many of them will be spending this Mother’s Day in bomb shelters, refugee camps, or in the foreign countries where they fled. Other mothers made the difficult decision to leave their children in the care of relatives so that they may stay in Ukraine to fight or help out in other ways. Nova Ukraine volunteers are working through the holiday to support these families who need our help more than ever. And they need your help, too. One mother’s story helping the needy in Ukraine One of the mothers who inspire us is Elena, a Nova Ukraine volunteer who has been delivering food and other critical supplies to other mothers and children living in Lysychansk, a small city in the area of Luhansk close to active fighting. When the war broke out, Elena jumped in to help mothers in need, often with the help of her 15-year-old daughter. When the bombing in the city escalated, Elena evacuated her family out of the area but she was compelled to support others who were unable to leave. Elena continues to make the journey back to her hometown on a regular basis. When we asked why she continues to do this dangerous work, she quoted The Little Prince: “As they say, you become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. So knowing that they are still there, I just couldn’t abandon them.”
