The Lion of Lviv

The lion seems an appropriate symbol of bravery for all of Ukraine...and anti-war street art ("no war' hanging off the end of the gun).

This was our last day in Lviv for now. We spent the morning saying goodbye to people we know and contacts we've made, including the American doctor, Michael. It was much warmer outside the medical aid van today. A man was sitting, waiting to be seen, who seemed newly arrived from the fighting in the East - arm in a sling and nose still bloody. We overheard Michael talking to one of the humanitarian aid drivers, who was saying that, in the Mariupol area, they are performing amputations every day and more morphine is needed.

Later, I was sitting,, reading, in a leafy park by a church and it seemed hard to believe that this is the same country where, a few hundred kilometres away,  bombardments are continuous and up to 100 Ukrainians are dying every day.

We have had discussions with USPUK about having an outpost in Lviv, which is far busier, in terms of refugees, than Krakow, but USPUK is not willing to support this. However, there are opportunities to co-work with other organisations based in Lviv, where most of the demand for alternative accommodation options will be, including the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme.

Our plan is to return to Lviv around 12 June, via Krakow, after our 10 day break in England, and go back to our basics of linking refugees with sponsor families, which we still feel we do better than anyone else, as we interact face to face with refugees. The Lviv City Council has agreed to help with anything we might need.

After much thought, we have decided that being independent is the way forwardwl. We hope to link with one of the large organisations located here for their organisational support. 

When we're back in Trawden we'll need to find ways of funding our accommodation in Lviv for 3 months as our pensions won't stretch that far. Also, we'll make a fresh effort to find sponsors in the areas where we have established Ukrainian communities - Lancashire, Dorset and linking with the Ukraine support group in Chippenham. 

In the meantime, tomorrow, just before 8am, we'll get a lift back to Krakow with some Americans who have been dropping off medical supplies and now have an empty van. By an amazing coincidence, in a city of 2.5 million, they happen to be staying on the same road as us! 'Neat,' as the Americans said.

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