The flow of Ukrainians seeking accommodation here is increasing by the day. People are picked up in Poland, they take the train to the west or arrive at Eindhoven Airport. And there they are then met by family or by strangers who take them into their home. On Sunday afternoon, Henro Veijer is waiting for Daria (34) and her daughter Milana (7) from Ukraine.
The man from Enschede came to the airport in Eindhoven to pick up two refugees. “They are going to live with us. We have made a room, everything is ready.”
While planes from Alicante and Barcelona land and tourists make their way through the airport, Henro is waiting for two unknown Ukrainians. The only information he has are the two names. “I don’t know where they come from, I don’t know what they’ve been through. We’ll all hear that later.”
Through a local aid organization, Henro was ‘matched’ with a mother of 34 and a child of seven. “Those people need help,” he says with a lump in his throat. “They’ve lost everything and we have everything.”
It wasn’t a difficult decision to take them in, Henro says. “My wife and I have talked about taking care of children in need before. And now this came along. This is the same. These people are also in need.”
And then the moment comes when Henro first meets Daria and Milana. It’s a bit awkward and awkward at first. That’s mainly because Daria barely speaks English. Henro tries to put the baby at ease with a cuddly bear.
“We lived in Kiev. After the invasion of the Russians, it became too dangerous with a small child,” Daria tells Omroep Brabant. “We were bombed and that’s why we came here by plane.”
She is very grateful that strangers just want to take her into their home. “I am really happy with this warm welcome and that we are being picked up. It is very difficult that I do not speak English, but luckily we get help.”
Henro gets a little emotional after the first meeting. “This is very special and honorable. These people put all their trust in our hands. I just think that is very special.” The seven-year-old girl is visibly traumatized and upset. “I hope that my daughter, who is a few years older, can make contact with Milana,” says Henro.
After a cup of coffee at the airport, it’s time for a two-hour drive to Daria and Milana’s new home. “The idea is for them to just empathize with us until they’ve figured out what they want and what they can do.”
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