A temporary home...




...in Trawden for 2 mothers and 2 sons, who arrived this morning. It must all seem so different, but they all settled in very quickly, each in their own ways. 

We discovered how much work and support is needed, initially, in being a sponsor - with bank accounts, applying for welcome payments and benefits, arranging school visits, etc. Also, how helpful it is to call on the experience of other sponsors. 

After the boring stuff the boys could not wait to get out on the bikes that were kindly donated, following Bob's appeal on Trawden Facebook. I took Anna on the 'windmill walk' from our house, on which she stopped every few steps to identify trees and flowers. Coming from a rural area near Kharkiv, she is looking forward to seeing stars for the first time in 6 months. 

When I tried to be too fussy about making sure they know how things work - shower, window opening, etc, i was reminded, "We are Ukrainian" - self-sufficient.

We know this situation is far from ideal, and they are far from home and family. Artem showed us where his house is on Google maps, over 2000 km away. We just hope this will be a good temporary home and we are so glad that we are able to offer it.  A big thank you to the financial supporters, who, with the help of our neighbours, made it possible.

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