My name is Karina Savage. My daughter has a school friend who was born in Ukraine. I was deeply touched the other day when I met her godmother Nadiia, who has just escaped with her 2 daughters from the atrocities of her home town in Ukraine.

 

She grab the girls and fled, but unfortunately had to leave her beloved husband, parents and  beautiful dog behind.

 

They have arrived in Adelaide, Australia with nothing and the girls are now getting used to a whole new life... and starting their new schools.

I want to raise money for them - so that Nadiia can buy clothes and put food on the table. She needs money to be able to set herself up in Adelaide - for at least the next three years.

 

I want us all to help her. Can you put yourself in her shoes just for a moment. This is her story.

 

My name is Nadiia Svyrydenko. I lived with my husband and two daughters Katia (12y.) and Masha (9y.) in a peaceful and beautiful city of Kyiv, Ukraine. On February 24, 2022 at 4:52 a.m. we woke up because of the terrible sounds of explosions.

 

Katia’s classmates began to message in the class group that Kyiv was being shelled. On that day my children learned the real meaning of this horrible word… Nobody believed it was real and we will never forget this shock…

 

All the next days and nights rockets flew into Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, houses in our district were on fire, people were hiding in the bomb shelters. My daughters learned to dress quickly during an air raid and run to a shelter. We spent most of nights in the parking area under the building and those days were hard for them…

 

We fled Ukraine after a month of war… a month of pain and hope… but my thoughts are constantly with my beloved husband and my parents who stayed there.

 

My good friends in Adelaide offered us their help. Our journey to Australia was very long and difficult, and finally we are here. There are 8 of us in my friends’ small house and I am very grateful to them for their kindness.

 

My past is killed by the occupiers and my future is still unclear. I have lost everything I had, but my girls are alive and safe!

 

And I want to say thank you to all people who are helping us in Australia. God bless them for their generosity, kindness and invaluable support because all this help gives me strength and hope for the future.

 

Nadiia Svyrydenko