WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — “People just left with nothing but the clothes on their back,” said Amber Linnekin, the donor relations director with Heart for Orphans.
More than a month ago, several young Ukrainian refugees with Heart for Orphans hid in a basement cellar from Russian forces attacking the country.
Then, they fled the country to seek safety.
“As you can imagine, they already have attachment issues," Linnekin said. "So for all of this to be going on, they don’t want to let the house parents out of their sight. They are so afraid.”
The organization provides transitional housing to young orphans and those who aged out of orphanages in Ukraine, Kenya and Belarus.
The team quickly developed a plan after learning the Russian military invaded multiple cities in Ukraine. Now, many of them are in new homes in Romania and Slovakia adjusting to a new normal.
“They’re doing really well because they are able to have some sense of normalcy," she said. "Everything has been taken away from them. So to just have that space with their family is really important."
Linnekin said about 30 children are in new homes thanks to the support of local churches and other community members. Though, the organization still faces a big challenge with one transitional home still stuck in the country.
Some men in the group are forced to serve in the military. She says new laws are preventing some women in the group from leaving Ukraine. Linnekin says the process to get them out is ever-changing, but she isn't giving up on hope.
“Every day we are fighting to get them out across the border. That’s our plan and I believe we will do that. It’s just taking a lot longer than we expected," she said.