By SGDD-ASAM | Project Leader
Larissa and Vitali have been married for 27 years. While they were enjoying their retirement days, they had to fled from their homes and came to Turkey.
Having arrived in Turkey through highway upon neighboring countries Romania and Bulgaria, they settled down in the house of their daughter moving to Turkey many years ago and they are safe now. The Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM), operating services in the field of migration for 27 years, has provided Larissa and Vitali services ranging from food, health, identity transaction, access to social rights and consultancy. Larissa and Vitali dream about returning to their countries and hope the end of the war is as soon as possible.
Larissa is 69 and Vitali is 71. One day, while they were living in a small city Kremnia in the Luhansk region, bombs exploded and their windows were shattered. While struggling to protect themselves from the bombs, they were trying not to get sick due to the minus 10 degrees temperature. At the beginning of the war, they were accommodated in shelters. They had been waiting for bread or medicine for many hours in such cold weather with a fear of death. Larissa says ‘We tried to make bread when the gas came, however, we could only succeed in making a couple of bread. Besides, being outside was horrible and we could see the missiles. At the first days, the electricity constantly cut off, thus we couldn’t charge our mobile phones and heat, then the electricity had gone permanently.’.
The couple was hoping the war would end, thereby they had resisted not to leave their home and city in the beginning of the war. However, living conditions during the war forced them to migrate Lviv region in Ukraine. After a long journey, they stayed at their daughter’s friend's home there, and then they took the road to Turkey. The couple arrived first in Romania, then Bulgaria, and finally in Istanbul by bus.
Larissa and Vitali are safe in their daughter’s home and spending their days watching the news pertaining to the Ukrainian war and praying. According to Larissa, support for Ukrainians needs to be increasing. Furthermore, she draws attention to financial aid. She says ‘Any of kind of support is quite vital for Ukrainians. We couldn’t take luggage with us. Thus, clothes, shoes and financial aid would be beneficial for Ukrainians. Every Ukrainian fleding from their home is in the need of support.
(Note: Real names of beneficiaries have been changed.)
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