Ukrainian Family Finds Shelter at Home of Adventist Businessman

A refugee family from Ukraine found shelter in the home of businessman Carlos Dias, president of the Federation of Adventist Entrepreneurs (FE) Portugal. The Portuguese members of FE are on the border with Ukraine, helping people fleeing the war to find shelter in the country. The group of volunteers helps resolve issues related to transportation, legalization, bureaucracy, connecting host families, and arranging school and work for refugees.

Dias opened the doors of his home to Alla Kozlova, 44, and her two daughters, Veronika and Alexandra, ages 15 and 19, respectively. Coincidentally, the family is also Adventist, and despite never having seen them before, he didn't hesitate to help them. “A member of FE Portugal is Romanian and went to the border [of] Ukraine to help. One family expressed an interest in coming to Portugal. They called me, and I accepted right away,” he says. In addition to opening up his house, Dias helps legalize documents for staying in the country. “We have to give them as much comfort and love as possible.”

Alexandra described to CNN Portugal how she left the country, which is suffering from the Russian attack. “With the start of the war, we packed up [at] 1:30 and left Ukraine. The journey was very difficult and terrible. We spent a lot of time on the road with no food, no desire to eat because of the situation, and we didn’t sleep,” she shared. They managed to leave Ukraine, passed through Romania, and ultimately reached Portugal, totaling more than 4,000 kilometers. They were the first Ukrainian refugees to arrive in Portugal.

The family resided in Chernihiv, which is near the border shared by Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. The place is known as “death row,” where the invading troops entered. Alla's husband and the girls' father talk to his wife and daughters through social media; he sent a photo of the house where the family lived, which is now completely destroyed. He remains in the conflict zone because he is barred from leaving Ukraine—men between 18 and 60 years old and naturalized in the country are prohibited from leaving.

Alexandra says the plan for the next few days is to try to organize life in Aveiro. “My sister is going to try to go back to school, and [she] and I want to find a job because we need to help the family,” she details. However, the young woman makes it clear that her greatest wish is for the end of the war to be able to return to Ukraine and be with her family. While the war is not over, Dias tries to minimize the suffering of the refugee family as much as possible and has established one house rule: “Don't talk about war, politics, and sadness.”

ADRA Support

The Seventh-day Adventist Church provides support for the crisis in Ukraine through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). It works on the borders of the Eastern European country, distributing food, water, hygiene materials, and shelter to refugees.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s news site