Volunteers behind a Saskatoon charity hope 17 girls evacuating Ukraine can reach Poland this weekend.
In 2015, NASHI opened Maple Leaf House as a home for girls in Ukraine fleeing poor living conditions, abuse and human trafficking. The girls range from six to 17 years old.
“They all consider themselves sisters,” said Andrew Allsopp, NASHI’s vice-president.
Situated north of Lviv, Ukraine, their community hadn’t been attacked by Vladimir Putin’s forces as of Friday. Still, their local caregivers decided it was time to evacuate, according to Allsopp.
“We don’t want to wait until there’s tanks rolling down the street to say we should go,” said Allsopp, who is based in Saskatoon.
After spending nights in the dark, away from windows with the sounds of air-raid sirens blaring, the group was loaded onto a bus.
Their exact location was unknown as of late Friday morning. Communication has been spotty between the girls’ caregivers and volunteers in Saskatoon. Many on the ground fear that phone exchanges are being monitored.
“You take kids who have already been traumatized in life who are just starting to heal and then you throw war at them,” Allsopp said, describing the anxieties.
Political leaders continue to grapple with the advance of the Russian military. NATO leaders have voted against establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine over concerns that it could escalate the conflict.
The current goal is for the girls to cross the border into Poland – joining the more than one million refugees who have fled Ukraine. Maple Leaf House is only 60 kilometres from the Polish border, but the bus has been caught in long lineups of people trying to escape.
The girls may need to stay on the bus for upwards of 60 hours, according to a post on the organization’s social media.
Their evacuation may benefit from a recently announced program called the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel.
“This will eliminate many of the normal visa requirements and it will be the fastest and safest way to come to Canada,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference Thursday.
However, Allsopp said the ideal situation would be for the conflict to cool, allowing the girls to return from Poland to Maple Leaf House.
If Putin’s military continues its advance, Allsopp said NASHI’s connections in Saskatoon make it a possible destination. NASHI volunteers have faced challenges in acquiring visas because the girls aren’t blood relatives of people in Canada and aren’t looking for work.
After working with a local member of Parliament, Allsopp remains hopeful they can find a solution.
“This is the best place for them if they can’t go back.”