A group of 53 Ukrainian boys and girls have arrived in Valencia this Saturday to spend the summer as part of the family reception program of the Valencian Community organized by the Juntos Por La Vida Foundation.
Their host families - who have received them with hugs and joy - have everything prepared so that the minors can have two months of vacation in peace. The little ones have arrived by bus after three days of travel from Ukraine.
Most of the minors, between the ages of 6 and 14, had already been assigned to a family that had welcomed them in previous years, when they traveled to enjoy the summer holidays and at Christmas. But others have come to a family for the first time, and for them it is a new experience, detailed from Together for Life.
Andrea and Alfredo, for example, have welcomed a 10-year-old boy, Illa. They have been excited and nervous before the arrival of the little one whom they did not know previously. "We only knew him from photos and videos and he seems very calm. We hope that the reception is good throughout the summer and that everything goes well. We are delighted that he comes to our house and spends a different summer", they have expressed.
Another of the families welcomes Timoty for the second time. "We are delighted with this experience and receiving it, because a child is always happiness in our lives, and what these children bring is illusion. It is our bit to contribute in this difficult moment. Some make wars and others make this calamity be a little less bad", they have asserted.
Irina, one of the Ukrainian girls, has emotionally hugged her host family and has shown her joy at being able to come for the second year. "I really want to be in Spain," says the little girl.
They are boys and girls who come from Kharkiv, Ivankiv, Irpin and Bucha. Some areas are calmer, but they are all experiencing daily alarms, as most regions of Ukraine continue to suffer from attacks. There the population continues under stress and the threat of missiles, projectiles and alarms, especially minor ones.
"That is why they need a breather that this summer family reception program that Juntos por la Vida has been carrying out for years allows them. Minors will be able to have a summer of peace, illusion, games, beach, eat well, and above all forget about the situation in Ukraine", stated the president of the Valencian Community NGO, Clara Arnal.
The host families themselves finance the vacations of these Ukrainian children, together with the Foundation. The program is carried out in collaboration, and under the umbrella of the Spanish government because all the boys and girls come with a favorable report from the Generalitat, through the General Directorate for Minors, as well as by the three government sub-delegations, which also issues favorable reports so that they can come to the Community. The initiative is committed to the return of minors to their country, which will be at the beginning of September when all the boys and girls will return to Ukraine to their homes with their families.
Those responsible for the Together for Life Foundation in Ukraine have held meetings with the families of the minors, in which they are explained how the program runs and all the responsibilities shared between the Ukrainian and Spanish families, and the foundation.
The Juntos por la Vida Foundation is collecting donations of humanitarian aid to send it by truck next week to families in the city of Kherson, affected by the flooding of the dam. The material that the NGO is requesting is food, water, drinking water tablets or antipyretic, antidiarrheal, antihypertensive or skin lotions. Donations can be made at the Juntos Por la Vida headquarters, on Calle Alicante 27 in Valencia.
Financial contributions can also be made to the NGO's account to buy water pumps and generators in Ukraine for those affected. The foster families that have received the Ukrainian minors arriving in Valencia this Saturday have also provided humanitarian aid for the shipment to Kherson.
