When the conflict in Ukraine reached Kharkiv, Hanna Mykhailenko was forced to flee with her mother Julia and her daughter Valentina. They made the harrowing journey across the Polish border, fearing the worst and feeling terrified.

"From Kharkiv to Poland, it was a difficult journey, but from Poland to Spain so many volunteers helped – offering food, shelter, and made things easier for us," Hanna tells CGTN.

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They were taken to Guissona, a town in the Spanish province of Lleida, which has a population of around 7,500 people.

"We arrived with so much stress and anxiety," Hanna continues. "We had no idea what would happen to us but the welcome was incredible, people were so kind, especially Josep and Rosa, we can't say thank you enough times."

Josep and Rosa Pujol are Guissona locals who opened their doors and allowed three generations of the Mykhailenko family to live in their beautiful cottage on the edge of town, which was vacant at the time.

"I felt a lot of pity for them for what happened, and for what's still happening," Josep says. "With the love we have for the Ukrainian community here, it's what I felt in my heart I had to do."

Even before the beginning of the conflict in February 2022, one in seven residents of Guissona were originally from Ukraine; a regional supermarket chain distribution center hires immigrant labor. 

When the refugees – mostly women and children – started to come, locals and compatriots opened their homes to them and welcomed them with open arms. More than 300 Ukrainian people have been housed in Guissona and many now have a daily routine, a world away from the ongoing conflict back home.

But there is no escape from the horrors of the reality. Hanna's brother is fighting on the frontlines.

'We cry every day'

Hanna and her mother live in a constant state of fear for him. "We cry every day," Hanna says.

"The only time we hear from him [is when] he messages to say, 'I am still alive,' because there is often no electricity or phone signal."

They are determined to remain grateful and hopeful, they just want the war to end. The Mikhaylenkos are among the almost eight million people who have fled the conflict in the Ukraine, with around 25,000 of those seeking refuge in Spain. 

With the help of charities like Caritas and Bonarea, many families reached Guissona and were reassured by the presence of Ukrainian speakers as it helped them integrate into their new community. 

It is something that the local government says it has tried hard to facilitate.

"Here in Guissona they've found an excellent and welcoming place to be because we've worked hard to make it so," says Guissona Mayor Jaume Ars Bosch. 

"After they settle in we hold activities for the kids, because it's mostly women and children who come. Then we start with Catalan classes and we try and help people find work.

"The integration for children happens fast, it's very easy, but they always want to keep that connection with the Ukraine."

Students divide their time between local classes in Catalan – the predominant language spoken in Guissona and much of the province of Lleida – and online classes with Ukrainian teachers at home.

In line with European Union guidelines, refugees are given residency and work permits, access to public healthcare, medicine and free schooling.

In addition, they have been treated with kindness and dignity by the local population, for which they are grateful.

It makes it possible for families like the Mykhailenkos to wait out the war in safety, hoping one day to be reunited with family when it finally ends.