Aloy and Edu are two young brothers from Costa Rica who reached out last year to ask if we could help them get postcards to Ukraine’s frontline Defenders. Sending mail around the planet is not easy for them as Costa Rica has suspended mail service to many countries, including Ukraine.

When asked why they decided to write postcards to Ukraine’s front line Defenders, Aloy and Edu agreed that they want to join the many others around the world who want to help Ukraine. “It makes us believe there is faith in mankind. A war in our time, no way.”

Aloy emphasized that when they first saw the news of Russia’s invasion, “it was HARD to believe … and our country is very small, our Government can’t help Ukraine. We only have faith for the end of any war. We don’t understand why a country with many resources want[s] to invade another country. Watching guns: all are terrible, awful.”

Edu adds, “War is very ugly. I can’t imagine how kids must stay in bunkers or closed places to study or to play. I pray that they can play outside with all the family. They need education.”

It’s a delight to receive a batch of colourful postcards from Aloy and Edu. They feature Costa Rica landscapes and tropical flora and fauna. Some read as a love letter to nature. All express gratitude for Defenders doing “a great job”. They’re also decorated with fun, colourful stickers, such as cute animals and playful pirates.

The boys also like humour, so employ it. They feel that Ukraine’s Defenders “don’t want to read about war, [so] we write some funny things that happened to us. We write just positive things.” They imagine a Defender receiving a card from them, and thinking, “I would like to visit Costa Rica some day”.

And, they hope that “their families will be happy to know that our world is worried about people in the front. In our country there is no army, so just thinking about the word WAR is like saying a bad word.”

When we began to encourage our postcard warriors to write some phrases in Ukrainian, Aloy and Edu took up the challenge instantly, and with a practical attitude. “We just write small sentences.” Both Edu and Aloy like to learn phrases in different languages in order to help tourists who visit Costa Rica. Now, they hope to one day meet Ukrainian tourists that they can speak with.

Recently, our friend Plathy in the United Kingdom, sent us a photo featuring a card written by Aloy. This is the first time that the two brothers from Costa Rica have seen one of their cards actually make it into the hands of a Defender. Since reaching out to us last year, Aloy and Edu have written over 100 postcards to Ukraine’s front line Defenders.

If you need any more reason to write messages of support to Ukraine’s Defenders, young Aloy and Edu remind us:

[M]ost of us are at home, safe, happy, with no worries … about war. Sending a lovely message to someone who is doing dangerous work is to admire. We respect them so much.

Need ideas about what to write? Check our Tips page, and our Ukrainian phrases page.

Postcards to the Front

P. O. Box 184, Millbrook, ON   L0A 1G0 Canada

postcardstothefront.canada@gmail.com

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This is an excerpt from an article published in our December 2023 newsletter.