She is, too, little more than a child. Vladislava, 17, from Ukraine, fled with her little Camilla, who came into the world 25 days ago, when the war had already begun. Together they fled Sloviansk, Donetsk oblast, in search of a safer place. Camilla was born premature, in the 34th week of gestation, and it did not reach two kilos of weight: he faced the journey in conditions of extreme fragility. But she did it.
“You could only hear the sirens that sounded constantly and shots in the distance, the fighting in Izium (a city in the Kharkiv oblast now in the hands of the Russians and a logistical hub for military supplies)”, explains mother Vladislava. “And then The railway was also affected, our house is right next to it. So we decided to leave our city too, now inhabited by the few who remained ».
Despite her very young age, Vladislava does not struggle to take care – alone – of her daughter. “No, I’m used to it. My mother has 5 children and had 2 after me. For me it is normal: my mother has always worked and we took care of the little ones ». In addition, “there are many good people here who help us a lot, I thank them very much, they are of great support, they even gave me a stroller for Camilla”.
Today the mother and the child are part of about a thousand families who, thanks to the support of the Zegna Foundation and the OTB Foundation, they are receiving Cesvi’s aid in Odessa, Dnipro, Kramatorsk and Kiev. The humanitarian organization is delivering sheets, pillows, warm blankets, baby and space hygiene kits such as soap, diapers, baby wipes, talcum powder and moisturizer. It is a targeted intervention to help pregnant and lactating women, mothers with children younger than 5, but also elderly and disabled people forced to leave their homes but blocked inside Ukraine.
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Vladislava has redefined all of its priorities. “Problems that once seemed so big now appear insignificant, little things”. Now she has only one desire, he only hopes for one thing: “The biggest problem is that we need peace.”
Source: Vanity Fair
