Charity Run in Odesa Supporting Refugees
In Odesa, at Taras Shevchenko Park, a charity run titled "Home — Where We Are" took place in the morning. This event was dedicated to World Refugee Day, celebrated on June 20. It was the first event of its kind since the onset of the large-scale war. Participants of all ages were welcome to join.
According to the organizers, over a hundred people gathered for the run. Among the participants were residents of Odesa, representatives of charitable organizations, refugees, and members of the Afghan community.
Registration began at 8:00 AM. Before starting the run, participants honored the memory of those lost in the war with a moment of silence. The distance of the run was 2.2 kilometers.
One participant, Tatiana, a displaced person from the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson, explained her presence at the event by saying she cannot miss anything related to refugees:
"Whenever I see announcements in refugee groups about events happening, I don’t even think twice — my heart just calls me to go. I always participate because I see people who, like me, are displaced, and who else understands you better than these people?"
Mirza Mohd Ahmad, a representative of the Afghan community, shared that he decided to take part in the run because he himself was once a refugee and now holds Ukrainian citizenship.
"We know what war is, what it means to leave your home, and we want to support all Ukrainians during this difficult time," he noted.
Anastasia Didyk, a representative of the organization "April Tenth," explained that the goal of the event is to unite people and draw attention to the issue of forced displacement worldwide.
