Slovak heroes
Four people, four stories, one calling: helping Ukrainian children in Slovakia.
- Available in:
- English
- Slovak
The escalation of the war in Ukraine in February 2022 changed everything overnight. It robbed children and families in Ukraine of everything that was “normal” for them. Seeing the huge numbers of mainly women and children fleeing their country did not leave anyone cold. Slovakia responded quickly, effectively, and compassionately.
Volunteers, firefighters and police officers rushed to the border to assist those in need. Teachers opened their classrooms, doctors their clinics, and ordinary people their homes to make sure that Ukrainians would feel welcome in Slovakia.
Among them, four heroes.
When it all began, they did not hesitate to help. And they are not planning to stop.
This is the story of Natalia, coordinator at the Blue Dot Safe Space in Košice, Nikola, teacher at the Taras Shevchenko school in Prešov, Colonel Martin Tejgi, director of the firefighters in Michalovce and Tatiana, doctor at the Rovniankova clinic in Bratislava.
This is their story, and the story of thousands of other Slovaks that, like them, did everything they could to support Ukrainians that fled the war. It is also a story of Ukrainian resilience and of new ties of friendship, trust and mutual respect between Slovaks and Ukrainians.
Thank you, Slovak heroes, for what you’ve done for Ukrainian children over the last year.