It’s hard enough for a child to lose a
parent under any circumstances, but when children become orphans in a
war zone, their future becomes even more uncertain.
That’s why one
family in Lyme is trying to help children caught in conflict in Ukraine.
Dianna and Douglas Hampton-Dowson turned to social media and created a GoFundMe page to raise nearly $8,000 to host three Ukrainian orphans for three weeks.
Dima, Anya and Dasha are 14, 12 and 7
years old but they have already known profound loss in their young
lives. The siblings are growing up in a government-run orphanage in
Mariupol, Ukraine. It’s unclear exactly how their mother died, and no
relatives have stepped forward to care for them.
“They’ve been in
terrible situations,” Dianna explained. “The shelter they were staying
in was actually bombed at one point, and they were in the shelter when
that happened.”
With two young children of their own,
Dianna and Douglas aren’t sure if they can commit to adoption just yet,
but thought the Frontier Horizon travel program was one way to make a
difference.
“Just to be able to take them away from that even for a short period of time was very important to us,” said Dianna.
The children arrived in time for
Christmas; the Hampton-Downsons treated them to the American version of
the holiday but also recreated a traditional Ukrainian Christmas
celebration. They toured the submarine base in Groton, visited New York
City and went horseback riding at a nearby farm.
A smartphone
translation app helped the adults overcome the language barrier, but
Douglas says the children didn’t need it with each other.
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