Alabama organization fighting to help orphans escape Ukraine
By Ariel Mallory
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MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — Brave teams from a local organization are trying to get orphans safely out of war torn Ukraine.
Prayers are going up along the Gulf Coast for the children’s safety as well as the adults with them.
Joe Savage the founder of Roads of Hope says these last few days have been very stressful and restless for his team.
“It’s 38 hours right now and they’re still not out of the country,” Savage said. “I mean we’re on edge, we’re doing everything we can.”
As the Russian attack intensifies in Ukraine people are rushing to get out of the country, but it’s very hard.
“We’re also are reaching in Ukraine trying to get people to know, hey we’re here for you,” Savage said. “We’ll meet you and help them navigate out of the country, especially the orphans.”
Savage has traveled back and forth to Ukraine for the last three decades helping hundreds of orphans.
It became personal for his team when a young woman who is practically family got stopped trying to flee Ukraine.
“One of the conversations I had to her on the bus I asked her how things were going,” JD Drinkard with Roads of Hope said. “And she said we’re cold, we’re tired, and we’re hungry, and we’re scared.”
Drinkard woke up to a text message from his daughter that translates in English to “I’m very scared.”
Now, Savage is trying to figure out how to get her, her two-year daughter, and the other 100 orphans she’s traveling with to safety.
“Over the last 36 hours they’ve covered over 600 miles in Ukraine while the war is going on,” Drinkard said. “There is a train full of orphans and my daughter and my granddaughter that are traveling towards Poland right now.”
While everyone waits and holds their breath, now they are asking for help.
“We need people praying but we don’t need people just to pray we need people to give,” Savage pleaded. “Within 48 hours that same money is buying food in Moldova serving refugees.”
For now Savage says he’s still deciding on whether or not to travel to the area and provide additional help but for now he feels his team has it covered.
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