Perfecting your Viennese Waltz is never easy, especially when your dance floor is a school playground in a country far away from your home.
But ten-year-old Estas* is determined to make it as a professional ballroom dancer, just like his older brother was before war broke out in their native Ukraine.
‘I know the Cha-Cha-Cha, Tango, Samba, Slow Waltz, Vienna Waltz, Drive and Quick Step – seven dances,’ he says.’I am full of energy when I dance!’
It’s a small reminder of how life used to be before Estas was forced to flee his homeland with his sisters when Russia invaded their country earlier this year.
Both his mother, a paramedic, and father, a soldier in the Ukrainian Army, https://www.sweetpeasplay.com/ had to stay behind.
Ten-year-old Estas is determined to make it as a professional ballroom dancer, just like his older brother was before war broke out in their native Ukraine
Future hope: Before the war, Estas would sing and dance in competitions but that all stopped
The children eventually settled in a school in Romania where classrooms have been converted into dorms for them.
Since their arrival, they’ve been helped by Save the Children who’ve given them money to buy food and medicines and also provided them with counselling for their trauma.
While war has torn their lives apart, the support they’ve received has allowed them to slowly piece them back together and give them hope for the future.
It’s allowed Estas, who used to sing and dance in competitions before the war, to carry on following his dreams.
He’s just one of more than 280,000 Ukrainians – 150,0000 of them children – who’ve been helped by this remarkable charity since war broke out in February this year.
More than 62,200 people have received money or vouchers totalling over £15.5m to buy the food, clothes and medicines they need.
Another grateful recipient is Vira* who’s also had to settle into a new life in Romania with her two daughters
They’ve supplied health teams and hospitals who’ve helped over 41,500 families, provided medical equipment to treat injuries and are currently distributing more than 2,500 food kits across eastern Ukraine.
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS femail" data-version="2" id="mol-f2f02af0-2ab0-11ed-9692-5d4796bed1c4" website one charity is helping the children fleeing war in Ukraine
