It’s not yet the tourist season, but a good third of the Ville-aux-Dames campground is already occupied. Thirty-six Ukrainians, including sixteen children, have arrived there in recent days, the majority on Tuesday evening. All left their countries at war. Around them, the steps are organized, administrative or medical. Temporary accommodation, time to find more durable accommodation.
We knew that France was a host country – Artur, a Ukrainian from Dnipro
From France, Artur and Victoria knew only a few images. Those of its history, its literature also thanks to the novels of Alexandre Dumas. But if this couple of Ukrainians arrived in France, it is for something else. “It’s our choice. We knew that France was a welcoming country”.
Four days of travel to flee the war
With their three daughters aged 6 to 16, they crossed Europe by car. Four days of travel to escape the Russian bombardments. They were there when the first bombs fell on their city, Dnipro. “Around 4am we heard the alarm. Around 6am they started shelling. The girls woke up. They started crying. We left the house to take shelter in a basement “.
Arthur’s sister, his nephews, Victoria’s mother remained in Ukraine. It is by checking in on them regularly that Artur and Victoria realize that the situation got even worse there. “Every day there are bombings. We had the girls’ grandmother on the phone yesterday. She told us that they had bombed the airport which, until now, had not been hit. Today today it is completely destroyed”.
You hardly realize how they can really feel – The campsite manager
Frédéric Wiart saw this family arrive as well as the thirty other Ukrainians staying here. The manager of this Ville-aux-Dames campsite even canceled tourist stays in progress, or to come, to accommodate them as best as possible. “It’s true that seeing them arrive, they are really tired and you become more aware of what they can go through. We just imagine and we hardly realize what they can really feel. seeing the children very tired and not specifically smiling when we are used to seeing children smile. It is the most touching”.
More than 550 people from Touraine offered accommodation
For all begins a slow reconstruction. Xavier Gabillaud reminds us that this is only temporary accommodation for the time being. The goal for the departmental director of solidarity at the prefecture is to find them sustainable accommodation, either in municipal parks or in private homes. “The challenge for us is to look among these offers which are all interesting in principle, those which give the most autonomy to people and those which are the most sustainable. But we do not exclude a priori homestay solutions, because we know that this welcome will be warm”.
The last days, around twenty municipalities in Tours have agreed to make vacant housing available, more than 550 individuals also offered accommodation. Which may benefit Artur and Victoria. They intend to stay in France for the time being. And send their three daughters to school as soon as possible