The eyes of the Ukrainian refugees were teary when the Ukrainian anthem echoed in the PIB (First Baptist Church of Curitiba) temple, this Sunday morning (20). The 29 refugees, who arrived in the capital of Paraná last Friday (19), attended the service in the front rows and were visibly moved when they were called to the stage to receive the tribute from the community of faithful.
In recent days, the congregation has mobilized to bring Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia to Brazil. The seven families — made up of two men, ten women and 17 teenagers and children — arrived in the capital of Paraná with a few suitcases and backpacks, crammed with only basic items for everyday use.
Despite the fatigue from the long journey, when getting off the bus, they sketched smiles of relief and happiness. In their arms they carried voluminous winter coats that until a few days ago had protected them from the intense cold of the European country. A boy was holding a stuffed dog on his lap, his traveling companion.
Representatives of Ukrainian civil and religious entities in Brazil, dressed in typical folkloric costumes, welcomed them with words of welcome in Ukrainian. The Ukrainian Society of Brazil provided an interpreter to overcome the language barrier, as few speak English.
The refugees came from several cities in Ukraine, including Kherson and Kharkiv, two of the hardest hit by Moscow’s troops. The only two men in the group were able to leave the country because they had more than two children.
“Each family has to live in an individual house, they cannot live with another family from the church. They have to have a dignified life. [PIB de Curitiba] it’s a middle class church, so you’ll have to rent a middle class house for them, [dar] education for the children, Portuguese classes for the adults, food, while this war lasts,” said Brazilian Presbyterian pastor Elias Dantas, 64, who led the welcome.
This Sunday afternoon, the families were transferred to Guarapuava, 250 kilometers from the capital, where they will be temporarily housed in a spiritual retreat center. In the coming days, some of them should head to Prudentópolis, a municipality that proportionally concentrates the largest community of Ukrainian descendants in Brazil.
The government of Paraná is looking for land in the city to house houses, whose construction will be funded by the church. PIB did not immediately explain where it will allocate the families, but said that it has already raised more than R$200,000 in a few days to support the refugees and that the solidarity campaign will continue.
Another 50 Ukrainians should disembark in Curitiba next Saturday (26), within the same reception project. In all, the congregation says it will welcome 300 people in the coming weeks.
“The churches of Brazil have come together to support 300 refugees who are coming to our Brazil. These churches have been raising funds to support and support them for a year,” said Pastor Michel Piragine, 39.
During their brief stay in Curitiba, the families stayed at a hotel in the Batel neighborhood, in the center of the city, and underwent medical tests to assess their health status. They also participated in various church activities, including a city tour on Saturday (19) to see the Ukrainian Memorial. Brazil has about 600,000 descendants of Ukrainians, the majority concentrated in Paraná.
Apparently rested and in good condition, the refugees actively participated in prayers this Sunday. They wore headphones with simultaneous translation. As children and teenagers watched the ceremony in silence, a baby spent most of her time sleeping in a stroller next to her parents.
In a video released by PIB, a woman identified only as Yrina says she fled Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine, via Poland, with her two children aged 1 and 11, and claims that her husband stayed in the European country. “Many families have young children and it was not easy to make this long trip,” said the refugee.
About her new life in Brazil, Yrina says that she has already made many friends, but that she does not know what her future will be like. “Our feelings are mixed. Now we want to know the culture [brasileira] and language, but our biggest dream is to rejoin our husbands who stayed there in Ukraine,” he added.
Yrina says that the decision to come to Brazil came “from within” and that the hot climate and the warmth of the Brazilian people also influenced the choice. “We also like that there is a large Ukrainian colony here,” added the woman, who stated that her sister also wants to come to Brazil.
Over three days, the sheet tried to interview the refugees, but they were shielded by the church organization, which prevented any contact with the reporter. On Sunday, the Ukrainians were escorted to the temple by a security cordon to prevent the reporter from talking to them.
A woman, fluent in English, was willing to speak with the team at the end of the service, but was again prevented by the organization. The names of the refugees were also not released, according to the church to prevent relatives who stayed in Ukraine from being the target of possible persecution.
Church representatives explained that the interviews were denied because the families had suffered the trauma of fleeing the war and had been subjected to a lot of stress in recent days.
“No personal interview, only with us here. In fact, there is no one who speaks Portuguese. They agreed to be filmed, but without putting them in a block [cercados por repórteres] because they have been traveling for seven days. There are many stories of pain”, said Pastor Elias Dantas.
PIB has not officially confirmed it, but some faithful reported that the refugees have links with the congregation and most of them have been identified as teachers. The protection scheme was set up by the GKPN (Global Kingdom Partnership Network), an entity that brings together several churches around the world and that is bringing refugees to Brazil.
This Saturday, the RCUB (Ukrainian-Brazilian Central Representation) promoted in Curitiba a march for peace in solidarity with Ukraine, in partnership with the OAB-PR (Ordem dos Advogados do Paraná) and other entities, with the presence of about 300 people. .
“As children of this kind mother, we demand that Brazil act now to stop the war of aggression. Brazil is much bigger than a business counter to sell meat and soy and buy urea and potassium,” said the organization’s president, Vitório Sorotiuk.
