11 Year Old Escapes Ukraine And Strangers Help Him Find His Older Brother

One million unaccompanied children have fled Ukraine since Russia began its invasion.

1 of those million is an 11-year-old boy named Hassan Al-Khalaf. His mother made the decision to send him on his own because her own mother is unable to walk and she would die without her caring for her. Hassan traveled alone to Slovakia going by train and on foot with a plastic bag, passport, and a phone number written on his hand. Border guards and strangers helped the boy on his journey.

The phone number helped reunite the boy with his older brother, who has been studying in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava.

At a pro-Ukrainian and anti-war rally Hassan said "I got my hope from my mom wanting me to go. My hope carried me on my way."

His grateful mother told a reporter "When I put my son on a train to the Slovakia border I hoped he would be met by people with big hearts. There are people with tremendously big hearts in your small country.