She has been living in The Hague for the last four years. On tv she saw Russian troops invade Ukraine on February 24th last year. Nina and a friend gathered tons of relief supplies and rushed with an aid convoy to the Polish border at the beginning of March. After dropping of the aid in a Polish community center, they were asked if they could take Ukrainian refugees back to The Netherlands with them.

Elena was living in Odessa and heard explosions on the morning of that February 24th. Russia had started the war against her country. The first days she stayed indoors, but then she decided she had to bring her daughter into safety. On social media she reads that refugees were offered protection and accommodation in The Netherlands. She travelled 800 kilometers by a crowded evacuation train - while hearing gunshots - and stayed in an old gymnasium at the Polish border. After three days she met Nina, who brought her to The Hague. There, she, her daughter, her grandmother and her grandson, her cousin and her children could stay temporarily in a house.

Back in The Hague, Both Nina and Elena felt there was an urgent need for a community for refugees. A safe space, where people could connect and receive practical help. Together they decided to fill that need. Nina’s mother Flora is a member of the local German Evangelical Church, who was much obliged to help.

Since January 2023 the weekly Friday meetings turned into a once a month basis. Both Elena and Nina saw that after ten months the Ukrainians got settled. Including themselves. They found jobs, their children went to school and they all got accustomed to life in The Hague. They knew each other, started Facebook groups and kept in contact, so there was less need for weekly meetings. “But they cannot live without the coziness and the vibe of those meetings. And once a month we can both manage and in the end it brings peace to people who desperately need this connection in The Hague.” Says Nina.