Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine, the celebration of the 55th anniversary of Saint Egidio

Ivano-Frankivsk, Western Ukraine, is one of the cities hosting internally displaced people fleeing from the eastern parts of the country, the hardest hit by the war. Here, Sant'Egidio has set up one of its centres to help the population impoverished and suffering from the conflict.

On the occasion of the Community's 55th anniversary, many people gathered to pray and give thanks - people of all ages and conditions, children from the School of Peace, displaced people themselves, young people and adults, and also some disabled people who had been evacuated from an institution in Kiev and now live in three family homes run by Sant'Egidio.

Three elderly refugees also live with them. Gleb, from Kharkiv, 90 years old, who remained twenty days in the basement of his home during the siege of the city, is among them. After being evacuated to Ivano-Frankivsk, he lived in a gymnasium used as a refugee centre. He was met by young people of the Community, and then he started living together with two other people in a flat arranged by the Community just for them.