Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Lviv Oblast has received hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons. Among them is Oleksandr Afanasenko from Severodonetsk.
Oleksandr Afanasenko lived in Severodonetsk until he was 74 years old. But the war forced him to leave home at a respectable age.
Red Cross volunteers took Oleksandr Afanasenko from his hometown, first to Pokrovsk, and later to Lviv.
In the occupied city, his relatives left a daughter and a grandson, his wife died of cancer in 2012. Three days after Oleksandr was evacuated, contact with his relatives was cut off.
But the man does not lose hope. Dials the mobile number of the closest person every day. “I would like to know if they are alive and well,” he said.
The house in which the man lived is most likely destroyed. There is no electricity, gas, or mobile communications in the city. The city was shelled from the first days of the full-scale war. The residents of the city learned to distinguish between rockets and mines by ear, the breaks between shelling were 1-2 hours.
At first, the man did not plan to leave Severodonetsk. He says that if it weren’t for the volunteers who came to his home, he wouldn’t have gotten out himself.
Oleksandr Afanasenko uses a wheelchair, so it would be difficult for him to evacuate on his own. The disease is a consequence of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The man worked as a liquidator in May-July 1988.
Today, the man found refuge in the Pidbuzky geriatric boarding house in the Lviv region. Despite what he has experienced, he does not lose heart. In the boarding house, he feels safe and receives the necessary care.
Together with Oleksandr, his pet dog Gerda found shelter. She lives in the yard of the institution. The man said that the time spent with Gerda is a part of his former life that connects him with home.
It should be noted that more than 240,000 officially registered immigrants live in Lviv region today, according to unofficial estimates, this figure is twice as large.
Evacuation trains continue to arrive in the region. As we reported, many elderly and disabled people are currently being evacuated to the Lviv region, very often they are unaccompanied and will continue to need help and support.
Therefore, people who once worked or are working in the educational field or are related to social assistance, volunteering, are invited to join the social responsibility initiative. It is about the support, care and support of elderly immigrants. More information on how to join is available at the link.