A Tauranga woman who went by herself to a war-ridden country to help in the fight against one of the most despised men in Europe is sharing her experience with The Sun's readers.
Harriet Campbell set foot on Ukrainian soil on October 6, 2022. With her she brought cooking experience from Tauranga's Falls Café, along with a heart for animals filled with compassion.
Why?
Prior to touching down in the war-torn country, the 30-year-old was confronted by her most dreaded question. '‘Why would you go to Ukraine?' People would ask me.
'It's so hard to answer in a few short words. I think one of the biggest things which pushed me to go was watching how the people of Ukraine reacted to the invasion in the first few hours and days of the war,” says Harriet. 'No one expected their defiance and it was awe-inspiring.”
Harriet first began lending her skills at a dog shelter in Lviv, then to Kyiv, and then to Kharkiv to volunteer at a kitchen. 'No matter where I went, I was blown away by how kind, generous and unbreakable the people were.”
The unbreakable spirit in Ukraine wasn't limited to humans either. During her work at the dog shelter in Lviv, Harriet met Skye, a dog which survived a nine-floor jump from a nearly-destroyed apartment building. 'Amazingly, Skye made a full recovery. She was a sweetheart.
'Always ready for attention and love. Even after what she had been through, she was still so trusting and inquisitive.”
Closest call
In the Kharkiv kitchen, Harriet had to adapt to cooking foreign food for the locals. 'I was mainly helping to prepare vegetables for things like soup and borscht [beet soup], plus making bread. I'd describe Ukrainian food as pure comfort food.
'It's everything you'd want on a cold day, topped off with lots of sour cream and bacon pieces.”
Harriet's closest call with the war was after Lviv was hit by missiles during her stay. 'For quite a few months prior to my arrival the city hadn't been attacked and was considered to be quite safe.” However, shortly after her arrival, Harriet says the power station was hit, which was about 2km away from her location. 'It was quite intense to hear and feel them hit.”
A connection
During her stay, Harriet says she developed a connection with the Ukrainian people.
'Their generosity was one thing which really drew me to them. They had lost so much but would still do anything to make me feel comfortable. Before I left to Ukraine, I really knew nothing about the people or their culture, but seeing their reaction to the invasion is what really resonated with me.”
Harriet also raised money through Falls Café and handed over tourniquets to the Ukranian army. Since returning to New Zealand, Harriet is 'still missing Ukraine”.