“The neighbors do not want us, we underestimate the neighborhood” – Corriere.it

There were a lot of signs that we were not welcome here. Comments from neighbors. A letter in which a “population committee” asked us to avoid seeing our patients because they literally wrote, “We are not used to it like you and we admire it.” Look crooked. During the fire, a neighbor had been watching the burning house the whole time. Without interference or asking for help. But we will not leave. Director Natalia Onepko has no doubts: those responsible for the arson that destroyed in recent days the construction site of her family’s home for children with cancer Dasha, in Suvki, a suburb of Kiev, are among neighbors.

La Dacha: a family home for children with cancer

The dacha should open at the end of the year: a residence for children with cancer with their families, which will have to fully accommodate 13 families, provide food, housing, physiotherapy, psychological support and shuttles to the nearby children’s hospital. It was established by the local Zaporuka association, with support from the Italian non-governmental organization Soleterre, to double the number of patients already cared for by a smaller structure, not far away: so far, since 2018, it has been 371. A tiny house and we rent it, we can’t do everything we want. On the land given to the association, therefore, it was decided to build a Dacha, which should be ready by December 2021. And here the problems began. The residential area is mainly inhabited by former policemen and retired soldiers. Onipko explains to folks who care about system and fitness. The sight of sick children, perhaps with their heads bald from chemotherapy, is inappropriate for them. They asked us to “make an effort for compassion” and put ourselves in their shoes. They are ours, understand? More than just a matter of sympathy, says Italian Soleterre boss Damiano Rizi, neighbors will be excited by a completely tarnished concern that the value of their homes will be depleted by their proximity to a place they perceive as sad. An idea of ​​a society where there are only rich, beautiful and friendly children.

Arson in Dacha: Three people can die

So, after a few open messages from the neighborhood and a lot of grumbling on social media, tragedy touched on Sunday. The house was almost ready and the two builders and a guard were sleeping in it, Onepco explains. A construction worker gets up at about 11:30 to go to the bathroom and sees an evil light through the windows. Overlooking the house and surrounded by flames. The three run away, help arrives. But if he hadn’t woken up, what tragedy would have happened? When the firefighters arrive, they have no doubts: arson, because the materials that caught fire were soaked in a flammable liquid, or they would never have caught fire. The three workers safely. Damage to the structure is only 200 thousand HryvniaTens of thousands of euros: Nothing prevents us from respecting our schedule, according to which we will reopen our doors in December. But spirits are low. We cannot rule out this happening again. These children and their families are already living a very difficult life. It’s hard to accept that they must also receive this extra hostility.