海角大神

Three weeks ago, Ali Willis got a phone听call, and knew she had to go. Russian-speaking friends had gone to a Polish border town to help humanitarian workers with refugees, and more help was needed. Ukrainians, who generally know Russian but not Polish, were pouring in. Soon听Ms. Willis, a communications professional in London who speaks Russian, was at the border.听

That鈥檚 where she spotted a woman and her toddler son 鈥撎鼳lina Serbinenko and Emmanuel听鈥� and immediately took them under her wing. Ms. Willis had already seen how young women and children in such circumstances can 鈥渇all into the wrong hands,鈥� as she says. Ms. Serbinenko听and Emmanuel, both weak from illness, seemed especially vulnerable.

Ms. Willis managed to connect听mother and child with a host family in Germany via , and three days later听was on a plane with them to Munich. She marvels at the leaps of faith required in the massive undertaking of finding temporary homes for Ukrainian refugees.

鈥淲ho were we to those we met?鈥� Ms. Willis writes on Facebook. 鈥淗ow did Alina鈥檚 parents near Kyiv know their daughter and grandson would be safe with me? How did I know Alina would be safe with the German family found on a website? We all just had to put our faith in our fellow man.鈥�

Ms.听Serbinenko鈥檚听mother and teenage听brother have now joined them in Germany, and soon the Ukrainians will move into their own听temporary housing. Ms. Willis has left, but remains in touch with her new friends.

To me, none of this story is surprising. I鈥檝e known Ms. Willis and her wonderful family since she was a little girl, when her father, David Willis, was the Monitor鈥檚 correspondent in Moscow. I was there as a student.

Ms.听Willis went on to study Russian at university, and has used her linguistic skill over the years in her work. And sometimes, she has shown,听knowing a foreign language can be a lifeline for a family in peril.