In the meantime, the reception of the Sons of Don Bosco in all the countries bordering Ukraine, starting with Poland, continues. A welcome that is first and foremost humanitarian, because all that is needed to carry it out is the minimum of the humanity of those who know how to recognize the needs of their brothers and sisters in danger; but in the Salesian case it is also characterized by warmth, generous attention, and a farsighted outlook, which find their roots in the Gospel and the charism inherited from Don Bosco.
This is also testified by Natalia, a nurse, wife and mother, who fled with her three children from the Khmelnytsky region in western Ukraine and is currently hosted at the Salesian house in Czerwińsk, belonging to the Poland-Warsaw Province (PLE): "Both my children and I are in good condition in Czerwińsk. We feel safe and everyone cares about us. The children are happy. They get an education and spend their free time playing."
Natalia arrived at an advantage over many of her fellow countrymen because her family, on her mother's side, has Polish roots; she herself had already been to several cities and places in Poland, and she knows the language well. But this condition has become for her a reason for responsibility and commitment: "I spend my time helping my compatriots with the various communications, in the compilation of the necessary documents, and working for the gradual integration of the refugee population," she explains.
In the face of so much generosity she has experienced, Natalia does feel like advising the many other Ukrainian women to flee abroad, "Everyone, especially those with children, can leave Ukraine, now that there is a war going on. There are many people who will give them shelter and decent accommodation!" But, having experienced the same dilemma herself, she also says that she understands "that some women may want to stay in Ukraine with their husbands... I think this is also a good decision." In the end, she only recommends, "Whatever path they take, let it be according to their conscience."
Despite the serenity that the Salesians and volunteers are guaranteeing her and her children, her current stay on Polish soil is quite different from the carefree one she experienced in the past when she could enjoy "the Masuri Lake District and the many beautiful forests, with all the surrounding nature." Today, however, she always thinks of her homeland and of her husband, a doctor, who has remained in the country to serve the needy, "especially now, when so many wounded people need him so much," she adds with a touch of pride.
Her big dream, in fact, is only one: "To return home to Ukraine as soon as possible! And I hope it will be really soon! Ukraine is fighting for life and our freedom so that those who had to leave can come home and start a new life."
