Help us to host Ukrainian refugees in our home

Hi, my name is Sara. I moved to St Louis, MO, in 2017 with my husband, Edoardo, and we are now settled here with two children, Lucia and Levi, 5 and 3 years old, respectively. We are Italian, and we own a single-family house in the center of Voltaggio (AL), Italy, where this picture was taken at the end of 2020 when we spent a year there during the pandemic.

 

Our hearts are broken by seeing what is happening in Ukraine right now, and we can't stand without acting. There are already over 4.4 million refugees, mostly women and children, looking for help.

 

We can't do much, but we can do something: we would like to offer our place in Italy to some refugees, make their stay as comfortable as possible, and adjust their lives into a new country as smoothly as possible.

 

We believe that our home in Voltaggio could be a great place to host a family or two. It is ready to live in (bedsheets, comforters, towels, cutlery, table sets, cooking pans and toys for children), with three bedrooms and 2,5 bathrooms leveled on three floors, a lovely open space dining room with a complete and newly equipped kitchen, a TV/sunroom, a terrace and a garden. Voltaggio is a beautiful historical village near Genova, very small and safe, perfect for welcoming children and women who need and deserve peace. The house is in the center of the town with all the shops where to buy food and essentials. The community welcomes other refugees so that other Ukrainian people would be in the close area. There is a children's area in the park nearby the house and a natural swimming pool where the kids can play and swim during the summer. There are also preschool/kindergarten and elementary schools.

 

Why do we ask for financial help?

 

We can't afford to cover all the expenses, such as utilities, food, internet, transportation, medical insurance, clothes and any extra need because we are still paying for this property's mortgage. Still, we can open our home to any people in need for at least 1 year ($10,000 per family). 

 

Can we make this happen? We need your help to reach our goal.
(if we cannot reach the minimum of $10,000 we will donate the full amount to Save the Children: https://support.savethechildren.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5751&mfc_pref=T&5751.donation=form1)

 

THANK YOU!

Here are some pictures of 2020-2021 from our last visit:

Levi in the pool in Voltaggio

 

Lucia approaching a floating boat in the pool in Voltaggio

 

Our terrace during summertime

 

 

The kids and dad at the river in Voltaggio

 

The path to reach the playground in Voltaggio

 

Our terrace in winter

 

The hall of preschool that Lucia attended for a year in 2020-2021

 

The view from one bedroom at the top floor

 

Just outside our house in the village

 

Playing in the river bed in Voltaggio

 

 

Snuggles on the couch in the TV/sunroom

 

Toys everywhere (to share)!

 

One bedroom at the top floor

 

Climbing on a tree in the playground in Voltaggio

 

Our kitchen in the open space

 

Playing in our dining/living room

 

Having fun in the terrace

 

Enjoying homemade (in our fireplace) pizza with grandpa in our garden

 

Breakfast on our terrace with delicious local croissants

 

Voltaggio from the river in winter time

Hiking in the natural park near Voltaggio