Tamara, an elderly lady, is one of the refugees that Dorcas supports. She weeps constantly. At the age of 84 she's become a refugee again. She and her two grandchildren were brought to North Ossetia from South Ossetia. Kind people - whom she did not know - gave shelter to them. Tamara is weeping because her four sons are missing. Her grandchildren do not leave their granny but support her as much as they can.
- If it was not for the grandchildren, I'd have been dead a long time ago, Tamara says. Can you imagine not having children running near your house - or not hearing their noice and cries? Can you imagine that there is no more tree you planted, no house - your fortress and your home, that you built for years and took care of. Now I have nothing; I don't know where my sons are. - Tamara bursts into tears again. Not long ago the Georgians and we lived together. Just like a family. Why so much sorrow, hatred and evil? Why do we kill each other?
There is nothing left from former her former life, from South Ossetia. It is not only Tamara that is weeping. Many of the people of the destroyed area are weeping. They feel exhausted.
Tamara and one of her grandchilderen
Mr Yury Gagiyev:
-It was so hard to escape from our village. I've never seen such fire before, never. Our village was completely destroyed. My house was destroyed. Everything in the house burnt. My wife and I were in the basement of the house during the fire. We didn't think we'd survive - but God had mercy on us. When the fire was over, we went out and realized that we were the only ones left alive in the village. We tried to stay calm though we both wept without stopping. We kneeled down and prayed. I took my wife by her hand and recited a text from 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 "now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God". Then we started running to Tshinvali, Yury tells.
Mrs Marina Gasiyeva:
- I don't know what we'll do next. My husband and I have nothing left in South Ossetia. Our house was destroyed. Everything burnt. And now, I don't know where my husband is! On August 9, my two young children and I walked more than 10 kilometres through a forest to reach a secure area. We walked all night and in the morning, we came to the village of Dzhava. Form there, we were brought to Vladikavkaz. I have no idea where my husband is, 30-year old Marina tells Dorcas.
Mrs Irina Gagloyeva:
- We spent the whole night in the the basement of our house. There were twelve of us. It was so crowded. We were thirsty but too afraid to go outside. Our town was bombed all night. In the morning, armed people walked along streets killing everybody they met. I could not sleep. As soon as I close eyes, it all comes back and I see it all over again, says Irina.
Sitting together and
sharing about experiences.
Children gather around one of the boxes with
assistance.
This man got a wounded leg when he fled.
Dorcas supports refugees with food and other necessities.
