I sit and wonder why life has brought me so close to people in suffering, to hear their stories, to feel their pain as if it were my own, to search for solutions for every injustice that befalls them.
I work for a non-governmental organisation where I receive the same call from life day after day: I must be among those who are suffering – I must help them.
Sometimes, the weight of responsibility presses down on me; other times, I feel powerless. But each time, I tell myself that I cannot turn a blind eye. Their suffering pains me. I cannot simply pretend it does not exist. I do not know where I find the strength, just as I do not understand how so much suffering can exist in this world.
Today, I once again entered our kindergarten where we support over 90 refugee children from Ukraine. I visit it weekly to check on things, oversee administrative matters and ensure that all is running smoothly.
I push the door open wide and immediately I’m greeted by the smiles of teachers – all of them Ukrainian. I’ve spoken with each of them. I know their family stories. I know about the struggles they face at home, the relatives or friends they have lost on the front lines or in the brutal Russian attacks. I know that they often suffer in silence, rarely showing their pain.
Yet, despite everything, I am amazed to see that after three years of war the teachers still have the strength to smile. They’re still able to offer these children a small haven of safety in an uncertain world.
Despite the pain, they are here day after day. Their workplace feels like a home, an island of hope for the Ukrainian community.
