We continue to see conditions worsen in Ukraine as more and more people flee to safety. Since February, over 2 million people have fleed from Ukraine to seek refuge in neighboring countries – leaving their happy homes, lives, families, and dreams behind.
Today’s story is about a woman named Natalia Ableyeva – she is a true hero. Natalia, 58 years old, was traveling from Ukraine to Hungary with her two small children. As she was about to leave the Ukrainian border, she met a man who had two young children. The man couldn’t leave because Ukraine has asked men aged 18-60 to stay behind and defend the country.
This man asked Natalia to take his two children with her to Hungary. In a true act of kindness, Natalia agreed to take his young son and daughter. For this man, Natalia was a complete stranger.
But he completely put his faith in her and trusted her with his precious children. The man handed Natalia a piece of paper with his wife’s phone number written on it and said goodbye to his children – embracing them one last time.
Natalia spoke about it:
“Their father simply handed over the two kids to me, and trusted me, giving me their passports to bring them over.”
The childrens’ mother, Anna Semyuk, was traveling from Italy to Hungary. She called her young son and finally reunited with her children in Hungary. Anna hugged her children. She hugged and thanked Natalia for bringing her children to safety; a lot of emotions were shared in this wholesome moment of pure humanity.
Anna, a relieved mother, said:
“All I can say to my kids now, is that everything will be alright. In one or two weeks, and we will go home.”
If you want to help Ukrainian refugees in this time of need, please visit UNHCR’s donation page here.
Sources:
Images & Featured Image via REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
