Four Years

Imagine if that happened to you.

You’ve got your life sorted: family, work, home, relatives, friends.

And suddenly, everything changes.

Your country is under attack. Sons, brothers and husbands are called up. Food is in short supply. Your income has dried up. In large parts of the country, life has become extremely dangerous due to the bombing. In the city, there is no electricity, no heating, no light. Everything is uncertain.

Millions of Ukrainians find themselves in this situation. Of those who have remained in their own country, most are living in fear, cold and poverty.

At any rate, those who have left for another country are safe. But their situation is hardly enviable either. They are usually in work and have somewhere to stay. So far, so good. But they often live in cramped reception centres, in austere conditions, with little privacy, worrying about those left behind, and feeling homesick. And this leads to stress and mental health problems.

The same is true in Apeldoorn. We are genuinely committed to providing these people with proper accommodation, but suitable premises are not exactly easy to come by. Certainly not for longer-term accommodation. And here, too, there are occasional incidents, conflicts and misconduct. Just as there are anywhere where people have to live together under a great deal of pressure.

Four years have now passed. There is talk of peace, but for the time being there is little cause for optimism. It feels so helpless.

What we can do, though, is continue to show understanding. A warm hand on the shoulder. Practical help. And every now and then, a question: “Are you managing okay, Ukrainian neighbour/classmate/colleague? Fancy a cup of coffee?”

Just as we do with others.

Ton Heerts