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During three weeks of the war, Lviv received more than 200 thousand migrants. The Choral School and Choir «Dudaryk» became one of the first to accept the IDPs. The head of the chapel, Dmytro Katsal, told Lviv Now that their shelter of St. Lazarus has become a kind of transhipment point, where people stay for a while and move further.
«Those who are not involved in the Armed Forces, territorial defense or volunteering in Lviv, are working here. We meet people, they stay with us, we take care of them, dress and feed them. This is such a transshipment base, because they are moving on – some go abroad, some just near the border,» – Dmytro Katsal says.
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«Dudaryk» was ready to host refugees even before the city began to organize it centrally. In just 8 hours, they managed to assemble a starter kit to open a hostel for those fleeing the war. According to its head, the members of the «Dudaryk» were gathered and hardened. At the beginning of the war, none of the participants went abroad.
«This war was preceded by the Maidans. Our society, including Dudaryk’s [community], is hardened in this context. Accordingly, there was not much time for recovery. As for the refugees, already on the second day, we realised that we would have to accept them. We immediately started working – arranged storage in the sacristy, began to carry water. We announced that we would do it before our government began to deal with it centrally,» – he said.
Today, some choir members are volunteering, some went to the defence. They help those who come to Lviv and send a lot of humanitarian aid to the area where active hostilities are taking place. So far, more than 50 families from different cities in Ukraine who have come under fire have taken shelter in St. Lazarus.
The «Dudaryk» Choir has existed in Lviv for over 50 years. Leader Dmytro Katsal adds that it is still strange to realize that we have such a reality. Nevertheless, everything will be fine with us, because we are Ukrainians, and God is with us.
Read more stories «On the first line» here:
On the first line. How two friends from Lviv began to sew unloading vests for the army
«To take the wounded over the night, we drive to the touch.» war story of a paramedic
Translated by Vitalii Holich
Follow us on and Instagram. Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.
