From Ukraine to Italy, the grandmother who welcomed the caregiver’s relatives

And the help came very quickly: as soon as Roberta understood that the situation in Ukraine was destined to worsen, in agreement with Alla, who was deeply concerned about the bombings that were also hitting her city Starokostjantyniv, she immediately set in motion to bring her husband Valentin, daughters Anna and Svitlana, 39 and 34 years old, respectively, and her granddaughters Oleksandra, Anastasya and Valeria, aged 1, 3 and 8.

The extended family

For just a week, after a long journey by bus that brought them from Ukraine to Poland and then landed in Bolognathese are the components of the “extended family” who lives in the house of Mrs. Bruna, Roberta’s mother, in the village of Castelnovo di Sotto, near Reggio Emilia.

«The house is on two floors: my mother, with walking problems since my father passed away, lives on the ground floor, where once there was the family knitwear. Therefore, the upper floor was left empty. Surely the spaces are not large for six people nor were there enough beds, wardrobes or even a cot for the little one, but saving and reuniting this extraordinary family was my priority.»Says Roberta, supported by solidarity network activated among friends, relatives and associations who have made available mattresses, seats and cribs, clothes and toys.

The solidarity network

To support it in this extraordinary humanitarian operation also the volunteers of the Public Assistance and Aid and the mayor of Castelnovo di Sotto, Francesco Monica, always attentive to integration, who guided her through the bureaucratic process.

Documents, tampons, assignment of the doctor and pediatrician, there are many practices that occupy Roberta’s day, but the fatigue is canceled out by the joy of the three girls: “I will never forget the amazement in their eyes as soon as they arrive, the tears of their mothers and the disbelief of Alla’s husband at having made it – she says – but also the emotion of my mother, awake since dawn to welcome the little ones who already call her grandmother. And she goes into jujube soup, because her grandmother never was“.

The new everyday life

It is a new everyday life, certainly more noisy and demanding, but, as Roberta repeats, very satisfying.

«Here the distances are minimal, so when I leave work I always pass by my mother’s house, where little Oleksandra scrutinizes me while I draw and teach the little words in Italian to her older sister, before she runs off to the courtyard to run around with her bicycle that I dug up from my childhood. For Anastasya, on the other hand, they gave us a tricycle »adds Roberta, still excited about the unusual birthday celebrated a few days ago. “They made me move: I found them on the staircase with a bouquet of flowers and cake,” she says.

The uncertainty of the future

There is an air of serenity at Mrs. Bruna’s house, the TV is tuned to cartoons, even if the thought is always aimed at Ukraine.

“They hope to be able to return to their country, but they are aware that it will not be possible in the short term. Little Oleksandra who, until a few days ago, was disturbed in her sleep by sirens and bombs, now sleeps blissfully all night. I would like to proceed with the school placement of the two older girls, but I realize that it is still premature. For the momentthey are all bewildered, but they understand that they are safethis is the important thing “concludes Roberta, driven by the echo of the father’s solidarity commitment who, at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy, took care of the summer reception of Belarusian children.

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