According to the UN, more than four million Ukrainians have fled their country since the Russian invasion, which began on February 24. In Mayenne, nearly 180 refugees have arrived. In the north of the department, at La Chapelle-au-Riboul, 18 women and children are housed in the buildings of a former religious congregation. Ukrainians welcomed by an English couple: Caroline and Jerry Jones. They taste the tranquility of Mayenne after experiencing the bombs in Ukraine.
– Martin Cotta
We don’t talk about war here. The atmosphere is good-natured. Lena arrives from kyiv and prepares food. “Here I feel at peace, there is no danger, I am calm. The landscapes are very green, it’s very pretty and you can even hear the birds singing in the morning.” she smiles. Lena is accompanied by her friend Svetlana. She can’t thank the English couple enough for hosting them. “We’re tired, broken and also a little scared“says Svetlana.
Quick integration
In a large room Evgenia is playing a board game with another woman. It took eleven days to reach Mayenne, from Donbass, in eastern Ukraine. She learns French very quickly. “I like to ride a bike, I like to listen to music, I like to dance” she enumerates in a very beautiful French. Caroline Jones, owner of the place for three years, is impressed by the speed of integration of the Ukrainians. “Some of them want to make soap. An association is helping us. Others are painting and restoring the windows of the old congregation. There are 150” continues Caroline Jones.
– Martin Cotta
Every day in a hall of the former Congregation of the Sisters of Charity, neighbors come to drop off food or material. An incredible outpouring of solidarity that moves Jerry Jones, Caroline’s husband. “_The French are wonderful, magnificent_. Thank you France” he says. Some of their children have already been educated in schools and colleges in Mayenne.
– Martin Cotta