the story of the mother who wrote on her little girl’s back

Before leaving kyiv (Ukraine), which was bombarded by the Russians, a mother had written on the back of her daughter her date of birth as well as the telephone numbers of her parents. Tuesday April 12, Vira and her mother found refuge in a village in Hérault. “My arms were shaking so much that I couldn’t write on her little arms (…) I had tears in my eyes”says Aleksandra Makoviy, mother of Vira, who was afraid of losing her daughter among the millions of Ukrainian refugees.

With her daughter, she took a month to cross Europe. “I waited 22 hours in traffic jams, there must have been a 10 km queue before crossing the border”, explains the mother. Today, the family has a new life in France. “It seemed natural to us, they can stay as long as they want”assures Florence Delorme, volunteer for the association of traders of Lespignan (Hérault).