Five months have already passed since eighteen children and two educators, all from the tormented land of Ukraine, are guests at the Magnificat village, in the Scorrione district, in Modica. Five months where volunteers and qualified operators tried to alleviate the discouragement of the children who come from Eastern Europe.
Villa Tasca, this is the name of the building where the children and operators are housed, is a two-storey building, made available in 2014 by Don Corrado Lorefice, at the time parish priest of the parish of San Pietro and today archbishop of the diocese of Palermo. The building covers an area of about 15,000 square meters and is surrounded by high walls.
Currently, the structure is inhabited by a family and 4 members of the Pope John community and in addition to the Ukrainian children it welcomes 2 other people with different abilities. The boys, in the morning hours, are all at school, in Pozzallo as in Modica.
The structure was also used to accommodate parish groups or scout groups for days of spirituality and, following a protocol with the Ministry of Justice, it also gives the possibility of being a work activity as an alternative to prison.
We are welcomed by one of the leaders of the community, Leonarda “Lea” Tobia, who lived for eight years in Russia and is a perfect connoisseur of the Russian language. “Our goal – says Tobia – is to mainly give relief to these guys. We took them from an institution from Mariupol and they were already living in an extremely difficult condition due to the lack of parental care. You add, to all this, also the war factor, and here our thought was immediately to bring these guys to Sicily. A humanitarian corridor was immediately activated that brought 63 children to our island, then subsequently divided between Trapani, Catania and Modica. The work of the Foreign Ministry was important, which allowed us to get these people to arrive in good time. Thanks also goes to the 5 Star Movement which has given us a big hand. Then we must thank the CGIL of Modica, which immediately made itself available for the first aid. Finally, our thanks must also go to some private companies. The expenses, however, are all borne by the “Pope John XXIII” association.
The boys are going to school, they are integrating, they are starting to speak Italian. But what is your ultimate goal?
“Many of them – Tobia tells us – have the goal of returning to Ukraine, and to be honest, it would be the best choice for them. Our task is not to detain these people but to offer temporary hospitality until things settle down properly in Ukraine ”.
Before the advent of the Ukrainian boys, Villa Tasca was used, as mentioned before, as a shelter for spiritual retreats. The advent of the war, however, transformed the ancient building into a shelter for these young people. In Ukraine there are still nearly 100,000 minors housed in 633 institutions.
“I do not hide the fact that anyone who wants to help us can do it as they see fit – concludes Tobia – Fortunately, the solidarity competition has not stopped but aid of any kind is always welcome”.
Calogero Castaldo
In the photo, some Ukrainian children arriving in Sicily, guests of the structure.
Modica, the “Pope John XXIII” hosts the Ukrainian boys | Radio RTM Modica