When warfare broke out in 2022, Sasha and his mom, Lyudmila, fled their residence in Kharkiv, Ukraine, with out taking any of their belongings.
“I noticed that if we didn’t flee, we’d both be killed by the bombs or starve to dying there,” mentioned Lyudmila.
After a dangerous seven-day journey, they arrived in Slovakia and, quickly after, started a brand new life within the capital metropolis of Bratislava.
Adjusting to their new life in a special nation was not simple, however they discovered renewed hope once they obtained a telephone name from Particular Olympics inviting them to hitch the ‘Unified with Refugees’ sport actions.
Lyudmila defined that his eight-year-old son “struggles with communication because of the variations in his improvement because of autism.
“It was because of Particular Olympics that we began in some way to go someplace, see one thing and meet new individuals, together with Ukrainians. We met and have become so united.”
In Slovakia, Sascha started taking part in bodily actions on the Dream Day Exercise Heart alongside kids with and with out disabilities. In the meantime, Lyudmila was employed as a trainer on the identical middle.
“Bodily exercise impacts Sasha’s improvement. And the truth that I can work at the least a bit makes me really feel like a human being, not only a refugee.”
Since its inception in 2016, with the assist of the UN Refugee Company (UNHCR) and the Lions Golf equipment Worldwide Basis (LCIF), Particular Olympics ‘Unified with Refugees’ has been instrumental in offering essential social integration alternatives by way of sports activities to 2 of the world’s most marginalized populations—refugees and folks with mental disabilities worldwide.
To date, over 10,000 refugee youths with and with out ID from reception facilities, refugee camps and neighborhood facilities the world over have been positively impacted. It presently has lively programming throughout Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Kenya, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand and Uganda.
Lyudmila acknowledges the essential function sports activities play in main a greater and more healthy life. She mentioned, “Many problems within the head are brought on by problems within the physique. That’s how sports activities heal—you must transfer.”
Sasha particularly enjoys swimming, and diving into the water is certainly one of his favourite actions. “He is sort of a lovely fish! Due to sports activities, my son has develop into extra disciplined. He listens to me extra attentively and understands what teamwork and following orders imply.”
Lyudmila added, “We hope to return residence to Ukraine, however nobody is aware of the way it will end up. For now, Particular Olympics is our solely hope that retains us going and pushing ahead.”
