The war in Ukraine turns two years old: "In Spain I can live happily, more calmly, without alarms or bombs"

   MADRID, 24 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

This Saturday, February 24, marks two years since the start of the Ukrainian war. Since then, different Spanish social entities, such as Accem or Fundación Madrina, have provided support to people who have fled the conflict and their homes. This is the case of Marina, a young woman from Poldova (Ukraine), or that of Olena, who fled a town 150 kilometers from kyiv (Ukraine).

In an interview with Europa Press, Marina (39 years old) explains that she currently lives in Valladolid with her three-year-old son. She says that she arrived in Spain on March 15, 2022 and that, although she wants to return to Ukraine to see her loved ones, she plans to stay in Spain for a few years. "Here I can live happily and more peacefully, without alarms or bombs," she said, adding that "she has everything she needs."

In this sense, she says that her mother and brother are still in the country and that she is "worried" about them because "the alarms ring there every day." "It's very difficult to be here and know that at some point something horrible can happen," she says.

He also states that upon his arrival in Spain he did not know "any word" of the language and that he did not know where he was, but that Accem helped him "with everything." "I hope it all ends very soon because many people have died, many children have died for nothing. It is very hard," he concludes.

For her part, Olena (40 years old) states that she arrived in Spain on March 22, 2022 and that she had "a lot of nerves" in the first days of the conflict. "I see what has happened and I can't believe it. No person thought that there could be a war with Russia," he says, adding that, although he has family and friends in Ukraine, he does not know if he will return to his country because in Spain he has work and It's fundamental".

Furthermore, he emphasizes that Fundación Madrina has helped him throughout his adaptation process in Spain. "Their help has been fundamental. Starting life from scratch is very difficult," he remembers.

In the case of the NGO Accem, in 2023 it has assisted more than 9,500 people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, of which 3,871 have been men and 5,629 women. According to them, the most significant age group of displaced people last year was those between 35 and 64 years old, with 3,818 people assisted, followed by young people between 18 and 34 years old, with 2,554. Since the beginning of this war, the entity has supported 35,050 people.

The help offered by the organization is part of a multi-stage program, designed to, as Accem's deputy program manager, Luis Manzano, explained to Europa Press, facilitate the integration of asylum seekers and beneficiaries of temporary protection, as is the case of refugees from Ukraine.

The program includes everything from psychological support to pre-employment training, including medical care and learning the local language, essential for successful integration. "There is individual and also group psychological attention, workshops that have to do with sleeping habits and how to work on anxiety," commented the head of Accem. In this sense, he highlighted that the emotional situation of these people "is complicated by the fear experienced, by the immigration process and by fear for the life or integrity of families in the country."

Manzano has also stressed the importance of adapting the professional skills of refugees to their new reality in a later stage of the program. "We are working on reformulating these skills to be able to access the most dignified job possible," she explained.

Likewise, it has indicated that the maximum time spent in the program is 24 months, although the needs and circumstances may vary between beneficiaries.

For its part, Fundación Madrina has sent more than 50 tons of humanitarian aid in these two years of conflict, has facilitated the evacuation and resettlement of Ukrainian refugees in Spain, providing them with accommodation, food, medical assistance and psychological support and has implemented specific programs for the protection of women and children in vulnerable situations, offering them safe shelter, legal assistance and psychosocial support.

Likewise, the organization has welcomed more than 1,000 Ukrainian refugees in its reception centers. "We will continue working tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid, protection and support to people affected by this conflict," said the president of Fundación Madrina, Conrado Giménez.