Hello and welcome to a Prom Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is May 14th.
Two months ago, I wrote about How My Friend Fled Wartime Ukraine. I'm pleased to report that she and her two children are now settled in northern England. Stacy's family received humanitarian visas and found a host family through a British friend she met in Ukraine (the mother-in-law of the best friend of that friend). When we spoke a week ago, her first words were: "I'm lying on the host family’s sofa and I cannot move because I am so tired." She then gave a small laugh and talked about how grateful she was. "It's like a circle of support from very far corners of the world, but we feel it. I feel safe and calm, thinking about school; not feeling the stress anymore. Feeling assured. We can stay with common people who understand us and we understand them."
About her two-month stay in Poland, she said, "The Polish people, in general, are tremendous support. They are really doing what they can: opening medical doors, and making roads, trains and buses free for Ukrainians. The Polish people are very inspired to help the Ukrainian people. It’s absolutely tremendous to feel this solidarity. This problem is not just ours. The Polish are very brave."
The trip from Poland to the U.K. was long but straightforward. The difficulty was finding places to stay along the way because everything was booked. She went to Germany, then the Netherlands, boarded a ferry to England, then gave those English roads a go with the Jeep Compass she brought with her from Ukraine. The only hiccup was the dog who had to stay in the Netherlands until all of his immunizations are in accordance with British policies. But even that's not so bad as Yahont has a doggy pal at his Dutch host home.
After all this, it's no wonder she was happy to recline on the couch for some much-needed rest.
According to the United Nations, "more than 12 million people are believed to have fled their homes in Ukraine since the conflict began. Just over six million have left for neighboring countries and another 6.5 million people are thought to be displaced inside the war-torn country itself." (Source)
One of Stacy's friends who stayed in Ukraine is Lesia Gordiienko. A university lecturer of English language, Lesia is also the owner of Arion Endurance Stables west of Kyiv. "I have always loved horses so I combined two things that I love: teaching and horses." She has a big piece of land 15 km north of Kyiv in a beautiful village with a great forest. The stables are simple yet cozy. Two years ago, Lesia won a prestigious "Best Stables in Ukraine" award from Stable Management for the exceptional care and condition of her stables and horses.
Before the war, normal life meant teaching a few days a week at the university then heading to the stables where she offered riding lessons to children, trained horses for endurance competitions, and boarded horses with a full range of services. She is also a journalist, writing articles and blogging about everything horses and equestrian sports. She participates in international endurance competitions, is an endurance judge in Ukraine, and is a registered athlete of Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).
The Russian invasion brought the war right to her area. Almost all the people in her region left because the bombings were too close. Her own family relocated to central Ukraine, but Lesia remained to care for her horses. "There was no decision to make," she said. "This is my home, my country."
"All the first month, the Russian soldiers were coming closer and closer. Lots of stables were in the occupied zone and were invaded by Russian soldiers. They stole toilets, carpets, washing machines, kitchen appliances. Stables of my friends and my colleagues - I can't imagine how terrible they were feeling about what was happening. [The Russians] were very cruel. I was ready just to open the gates and to let my horses run somewhere and maybe some of them would survive."
Surrounding villages were plundered; stables and horses burned alive in neighboring villages. Lots of houses were destroyed as bombs fell some 300 meters from her house.
"Bucha, notoriously famous all over the world due to the military actions, was very close to us. There were lots of explosions and the horses adapted very quickly. I had bought enough hay before the war because I was sure something was going to happen. I spent all the money I had to hold the forages and that was the most clever thing I did."
Fortunately, the Ukrainian army prevented the Russian soldiers from advancing on her village and stables. Thanks to her economical rationing of the horses' food supply, the horses were skinny but alive. Two months later, with the Russians gone, conditions are safer and calmer and she is now working on getting them back to normal weight and good health.
Stable owners in this region around Kyiv fared the worst. "Stables with rich owners have left Ukraine; they live abroad. They have enough money to support their horses because they have international businesses. The stables like mine are in the most difficult situation. There are lots of such stables as mine. We could give lessons but we have no clients; no clients means that we have no money to feed our animals."
While international relief agencies have been able to provide some support for area stables, Lesia has deferred this help to others who have a greater need. "The other stables needed much more than me. I had some forages, but they didn't. They were not prepared as well I was."
Last week, Lesia finally acquiesced and receive aid from an international organization to purchase another month's supply of hay and grain for the horses. "I've never asked for help. I was always helping other people and praying for the possibility to help others but not to ask for help myself. But I think the time came yesterday."
As Lesia looks to the future - and the reality that this war will go on longer than hoped - she and I teamed up to create a Feed the Ukrainian Horses GoFundMe campaign to help feed her 14 horses until her clients return and the war ends. The fundraising goal is $2,000, and there are suppliers nearby where she can purchase hay and grain. Her husband's salary feeds their family, but there is not enough for the horses. If funds received exceed her needs, Lesia will share monies raised with other stable owners.
When I asked her what she wanted you to know, dear reader, here is what she said:
"I'd like the people from the U.S. to know that we really appreciate the help - humanitarian, military, and social. It's very important for us because we know that we are not alone. When we were living a normal life, Russian language was not forbidden in Ukraine. We were a free and democratic country before Russia decided to "save us." They invaded our beautiful country; they killed lots of people. They are destroying everything we love, everything we are proud of, everything we believe in; destroying the way we live - and that's really terrible and very, very scary because there's no reason for this war. There is no reason. There are no Nazis in Ukraine and there have never been any fascists in Ukraine. There are more than one hundred nations in Ukraine. We're tolerant to all the views; we are trying to be progressive Europeans and we're trying to take the best from the world. But Russia wants to regress back maybe 200 years to a Stone Age. I don't know why are they doing that."
While I deal with everyday life here in Wannaskaland - the Oldest returning from college, the Senior 2.0 getting ready for prom, figuring out summer travel plans - I make myself pause for a moment. This woman - also with a busy family, a thriving business, and nearly the same age as me - lives through the horrors of war while I throw a frozen pizza in the oven and think about how I'm going to procure a chocolate fountain for my son's grad party. Through all of the conversations I've had with Lesia over the last two months, she consistently exudes a calm and confidence that amazes and humbles me.
I leave you with this final quote from Lesia:
"I believe that Ukraine will win this war with the help of all the world and especially of the United States and the United Kingdom. I'm sure we will win this war and I'm sure Ukraine will be one of the most prosperous and beautiful countries in the world because we have everything to be happy; we have everything to be rich and prosperous."
To learn about the fundraising campaign and to donate, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/feed-the-ukrainian-horses
On This Day
Historic Highlights (credits)
Happy Birthday to You!🎶
Remembering You
Kim
The organization that provided Leisa with funds for her horses is Fleet of Angels, an American nonprofit service organization that helps horses in crisis.
ReplyDeletewww.FleetOfAngels.org / www.FundForUkraineHorses.com
Fleet of Angels encourages readers of Leisa's story to make a contribution to her hay fund using the link provided in the article. Teamwork works!
Thank you so much for your comment, Ms. Nash, as well as for the encouragement and endorsement.
Delete