Helping Ukrainian refugees through the trauma and distress of war
from Christian Today:
When Russia invaded Ukraine, it sparked an exodus of refugees as millions fled their homes. But given the choice, many would love to go back, says Bishop Josep Ferrer, who recently visited the country.
Over the course of three days, he visited refugee camps in Ukraine and Hungary where he met some of those who have been displaced by the war, as well as the churches that are supporting them.
“The people I met in Hungary who have left Ukraine and the displaced people I met inside Ukraine all want to go back to their homes,” he said.
For some, there is still a sense of disbelief about how quickly their lives have been upended.
One young woman told him she had just got engaged a few weeks before the war broke out and that she had been due to go to university in September to train to become a dentist. Now she is in a refugee camp and her fiancé is on the frontline fighting.
“She had a beautiful apartment; now all her belongings are in a suitcase. This is the reality they are facing,” said Bishop Josep.
“We think refugees are poor but the reality is that only a few weeks ago they were just like you and I.”
With one family he met in Hungary, the stress was all too apparent. They had arrived in the country just a few days earlier and were so happy and relieved to be out of the warzone in Ukraine and somewhere safe.
But the feelings of relief quickly gave way to distress about how their family would survive in a foreign country, worries for the people they left behind, and concerns about their future.
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