From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 1229)
The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Psalm 28:8-9
I came across a recent survey that brings some alarming statistics. Every other Ukrainian (52%) is separated from their loved ones because of the war. Most of those (38%) experience separation from their spouses, and 25% are children separated from one or both parents.
84% of those separated from their children haven’t seen them for over a year, but keep in touch at least once a week.
Separation is more than just being apart from each other. It brings its set of challenges, and the main ones named by the respondents in the survey are emotional (depression/anxiety) (62%) and financial (43%) struggles. 33% noticed that it caused changes in the behavior of their children. What breaks my heart even more is that 10% said they drink alcohol to drown their sadness, and that’s the solution chosen by 25% men separated from their wives and children.
I know that this survey is just the tip of the iceberg, and it shows another aspect of this horrendous war. It’s about the battle we’ll keep fighting for generations after this war ends. Children who grow up without the presence and active participation of both parents are scarred for life, and it takes an enormous amount of dedication to maintain close relationships over distance.
I know families where the mom with the kids lives abroad, and the dad stays in Ukraine. I know families where the dad serves in the army in a unit in another part of Ukraine, and I saw how this sort of separation affected my students so much that I could pinpoint the day the dad left or returned for a visit.
I cannot imagine the strain on the spouses separated by the war, especially if the separation lasts for a long time and there seems to be no end in sight. You grow apart unless you intentionally work on your relationship, but it’s not always the case.
Please pray for the Ukrainian families. It is yet another war we cannot afford to lose.
Voice of Ukraine 