AS violence erupted in Ukraine, 31 Ukrainian foster kids were rushed out of the war-torn country on a bus to Poland.
"Abused and neglected" children – between the ages of two and 17 – sang during the two-plus hour ride from a western Ukrainian city north of Lviv to Poland.
The heartwarming moment was recorded on video and shared exclusively with The Sun.
Wendy Farrell, an Arkansas mom of five girls who is among the volunteers caring for the children, said they made plans when the threat of a Russian invasion became an impending reality.
"We gassed up the bus so it was ready to go. Suitcases were packed," Farrell said in an interview from Poland.
"When Russia invaded, our director went to the government authorities to travel across the border with the children."
They left Ukraine on March 1, and they've been there ever since.
"We're in a good place for now," Farrell said. "They're doing well overall. They're very resilient. They're with people who love them, but they're scared. They're worried about the future.
"They don't like not knowing what tomorrow will hold."
As of Monday, the foster care director, five caregivers and the children are all living in a temporary dorm-like shelter in a rural area of Poland.
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They live along one hallway and in rooms with three to six beds per bedroom, Farrell said. There's a large dining room and eating food provided through donations.
"The concern is that they're in a foreign country with over two million other Ukrainian refugees and this is not sustainable for a country the size of Poland," Farrell said
"They're living out of suitcases, they don't know the people here and it's traumatic enough to have to flee your country. They want to be with people who they know."
STRANDED IN POLAND
As of Monday, the children are stranded in Poland.
Farrell said they're having trouble getting securing visas, which is a process that can drag out for an unknown amount of time.
They expect to receive a written agreement that the children will get visas to the US as early as Friday, and then they will go through the visa process, she said.
But there are no visa appointments available and most of the kids don't have passports, Farrell said, which has created extra hurdles to get out of Poland.
"We're hitting some serious roadblocks here," Farrell said. "It is a concern that the children will have to stay here for awhile, which can be traumatic for children who have gone through some much trauma in the lives.
"They want to go home, but they can't. But they want to be at least in a more permanent setting, not living out of their suitcases like they have for the last three weeks.
"We need our government to act and not rely on the European countries to taken the brunt of caring for the refugees. That's just not sustainable."
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