SOS Ukraine - assistance for the disabled

The things that Julia misses the most in Poland are her family, a colorful vegetable garden and her beloved sheepdog. This friendly, young woman has lived in the countryside all her life. And although here, in Konin, they found peace, friends and got help from complete strangers, they still miss their home. Julia worries about what they will do when they return to Zhytomyr in Ukraine in the fall.

They didn’t plant or sow anything this year. They ran away in fear of bombardment. In Zhytomyr, even today, it is still turbulent. While fleeing from Zhytomyr for a few weeks ] they stayed in Karpaty for a while because it was peaceful there. But when an opportunity of going to Poland came up, they did not hesitate. They have a 3-year-old, long-awaited son – Nazarek.

- We escaped from this hell mainly because of our son. When we left 24 bombs hit Zhytomyr, sirens were constantly wailing, shops were empty, there was no gas, no electricity, no medicine. We saw so much evil, so much suffering and pain. We didn’t want anything bad happen to us so we left, with huge help of our friends – Amelia and Wowa, with enormous support of Sebastian who is our friend from a wheelchaired club team in Poznan, in which I play, and managed to find a peaceful place thanks to PAY IT FORWARD Foundation. – says Igor, Julia’s husband.

While we’re sitting next to table laden with food and talking, little Nazar moves all the time. He runs, jumps, laughs, tells different stories which only his parents understand. He brings cars, books, games and crayons to the table. He is one happy , joyful and trustful child. Probably, not scarred by the war trauma. Thankfully!

Julia and Igor met when Julia was 16 and Igor 18, thanks to their friends, at a.. disco. Igor says that Julia immediately caught his eye. Since then, they have never parted. Today, they are 32 and 34 years old and have been married for six years. Three years ago, their long-awaited son was born. Nazarek is the apple of their eye. And he knows it very well And so, everything was going their way, according to their plans and dreams until… Igor’s accident happened. He was working then as an IT specialist at a military institute and during training he broke his back. Several years ago, he sat in a wheelchair and, as he claims, it was Julia’s love that made him quickly start to fight for himself in a new, difficult reality. Nowadays he works as an IT specialist and a tester of products such as mobile phones made by popular brands. He’s also a caring husband and a good father. When asked what he misses the most in Poland, he says „nothing”, as long as he’s got his family close and can provide food for them.

Julia, on the other hand, misses her family and home. That house are the Christmas memories with „Grandpa Mroz” which she was disguising herself as, colorful tomatoes, beets, onions, potatoes, fruits and flowers that grew in their vegetable garden, wheat fields swaying in the wind behind their house…

- All these memories are in me, I keep them in my heart and I do believe that when it all ends, we will go back home and we will put our lives back on the right tracks. – says Julia.

They’re trying to create a piece of Ukrainian home here, in Konin, in a beautiful apartment. They both love to cook. Their favorite dishes are wareniki, pielmieni, Ukrainian borscht, yeast cake with apples and cream and carrot salad for which you have to have a Ukrainian grater. Igor’s specialties are shashliks and meat in general. And just like in the kitchen, so too in life, these two wonderful people complement each other every day. They really seem to be happy!

- The war has united our family even more. Because in a relationship fun multiplies by two and sorrows are divided by two – adds Igor while little Nazar, with his face smeared in chocolate, climbs onto his lap. It’s time for a bath, dinner, bedtime reading and sleep. Good night!

Carrot salad recipe.

-1 kg of carrot grated on a large-mesh grater

- 4 cloves of Garlic

- 2 onions

- 150 ml rapeseed of sunflower oil

- 50 ml of apple vinegar

- a teaspoon of sweet pepper

- half of  teaspoon of spicy pepper

- a teaspoon of coriander

- a teaspoon of sugar and salt

- a spoon of grated ginger

Salt the grated carrot, knead and leaver for 2 hours (drain off the excess of juice). Add squeezed garlic, grated ginger, vinegar, sugar and both peppers. Mix everything thoroughly. Glaze the sliced onion in oil. Take out the onion (you can eat it with bread ), add coriander and pepper into the hot oil. Fry it all for a while. Pour the hot oil over the carrot and mix thoroughly. Serve it immediately or put it into jars. You can store such salad even for a month.