Portugal has always been the objective, but the arrival of this family of Ukrainian refugees in São Brás de Alportel, last Tuesday, March 1, turned out to be a fluke. There are five in all: father, mother, daughters and granddaughter. Everyone now wants to rebuild their lives, away from the bombs, panic and that feeling of fear that they experienced in the first person, in Vinnytsia, Ukraine.
At the beginning of that Thursday, February 24th, V. (fictitious name) still thought «that everything was a joke».
"We knew that the war had started, but we didn't see anything", he recalls to the Sul Informação.
But with the early hours of the morning came fear, the certainty that the war was also going on there, in that city about 300 kilometers from Kiev.
“At 11:00 am, they started bombing the industrial area of our city, Vinnytsia. A bomb also dropped on a street», says V., without hiding the sadness in his eyes.
The whole family decided to run away. At first, they took refuge in the garage of some relatives, in a town near Vinnytsia, but soon they realized that leaving the country was imperative.
«We left with what we had: clothes, documents and money», explains V.
And so began a long car journey, almost through half of Europe.
«It was very difficult, especially with a child in the car», recalls J. (not her real name).
They left Ukraine through the border with Romania, continued through Hungary, where they entered after many hours in queues, and crossed border after border, until arriving in Portugal, a country they knew well.
This Ukrainian family lived in Torres Novas, in the Center zone, in two different periods: from 2000 to 2006 and from 2012 to 2013. Almost all of them speak unblemished Portuguese.
Despite the several years of residence – and the Portuguese nationality that everyone has, with the exception of one of the daughters – returning to Portugal was not in the plans. It was the war, a word that V. and J. keep repeating, that forced them to do so.
“At home, in Ukraine, we had everything, everything. And we had to run away", she says bitterly, J.
Even so, the arrival in São Brás de Alportel is the story of a chance that, until now, has had only positive things.
“I remember we were in Spain. During the trip, we were looking at the newspapers, the social networks and that's when a Ukrainian lady came to us who told us that, here in São Brás de Alportel, they were supporting refugees. So, we came straight”, reports V.
The arrival took place on the night of Tuesday of Carnival.
Júlio Pereira, provider of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de São Brás de Alportel, tells how, «in record time», it was possible to create a support network for this family.
«We have a temporary accommodation prepared and that's where we took them in. We gave them sleep, food and all the help with clothing as well”, she says.
“We have secured everything they need. A little while ago we went to the social store looking for clothes for one of the ladies who didn't bring anything, for example», adds the supplier.
The will of this family is only one: rebuild their life. One of the first steps – getting a house – has already been accomplished.
«One of our collaborators, in her normal home support circuit, realized that there was a house for rent near the village. This family went there, liked the space and ended up getting it. It will be your new haven”, says Júlio Pereira, smiling.
When the Sul Informação met with V. and J., only a few details were missing, such as cleaning, so that this family of Ukrainians could move permanently to their new address.
The anxiety – and the will – were already many. On the part of Misericórdia, furniture, blankets and comforters will be provided, guarantees the provider.
V. recalls how the fact of having Portuguese nationality «helped him a lot» in this case.
“My son-in-law was with us in the car, but he ended up having to stay in Ukraine to fight,” he says.
An electrician by profession, V. already has some ideas in mind to get a job.
There is the possibility of going out to work or finding something closer: Misericórdia, moreover, has already made itself available to help on this point as well.
What is certain is that neither V. nor J., nor anyone in this family, forgets the support of the Portuguese from a small Algarve village in which now, even far from home, they want to be happy again.
NOTE: The names and faces of the Ukrainian refugees with whom the Sul Informação spoke were withheld for security reasons by these people and their relatives who were still in Ukraine.
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