The most difficult September 1 for Ukrainian families

Despite the war and all the horrors that it brought to life for every Ukrainian child, September 1 will soon come, which means that children must go to school. According to the MES, by September 1, only 70% of schools will open in Kyiv, that is, only those where there are shelters. The situation will be similar in other regions of our country.

To date, more than 8 million people have been forced to leave their homes, among them hundreds of thousands of children who have lost their usual lives, homes, friends, and on September 1, the new school year will begin in new conditions. Some of them will go to new schools, while the rest will continue their education at their schools, but already online.
We would like to share with you the stories of children whose lives were completely changed by the war, but we can help them prepare for the school year.

8-year-old Yulia Ryabchenko and her parents fled Dobropolye in the Donetsk region when the authorities called for an evacuation. The sirens sounded more and more often, and the likelihood grew that their town was locked in a ring. Gathered hastily, took a minimum of things. Even then there were problems with fuel and the family did not know if it would be enough to leave, so they took only the most necessary things if they had to walk and throw away the excess.

At first we went to the Dnipro, but we did not find where to spend the night there. Then there was Poltava, Novomoskovsk, Zaporozhye. After several days of wandering, little Julia asked a question that still hurts her mother:

- Mom, are we homeless now?
At first, Yulia approached the evacuation in an adult way, saying that she would pack her things on her own, but only later it turned out that she had put only toys in the children's suitcase.Yulia was crying and could not choose whom to take and whom to leave. She said goodbye to her domestic toy animals and dolls, as to friends, and said:

- Farewell, toys, I have been collecting you all my life.

Life in different cities was very difficult for Yulia. She refused to leave the house and was very afraid of the sirens. At home in Dobropolye, they could not follow the rule of two walls of walls, and she hid under the table. And outside the house it became even more terrible, because other people's walls did not help.

Now the family is in Kyiv. After a few months of living in the capital, the girl was able to recover. New friends have appeared and thanks to benefactors, her leisure time is rich - master classes, a culinary club, hiking and various entertainments. Yulia's mother, in order to thank for the help, also volunteers - she distributes humanitarian aid. Despite the fact that now they have settled down a bit in a new place, most of all they dream of returning home. However, provided that the house is Ukraine. In 2014, when Yulia was born, they felt what the

Russian world was like, and since then they have been ready to run away from it even to the ends of the world.

Read more stories on HB.Life or VIKNA.

On dobro.ua you can purchase briefcases, notebooks, pencil cases, creative kits for first graders and high school students; for children who have left their homes; for children from crisis families and residents of front-line regions.