Update:

Arina has successfully arrived in the U.S., and we are doing everything to help her settle in and get a stable ground. Arina has applied for a work permit and, in the meantime, she is studying English and adjusting to her new world. We are happy that she is finally safe!

Meet Arina, my niece.

Before Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, Arina was a student on track to become a Ukrainian language teacher this Spring.

Then the war came and changed everything.

Arina and her family spent a month hiding in the basement where it was so cold that she could not wash her hair once. She slept on a mattress on a concrete floor. Coming upstairs to cook or get water was always a risk to life. The bombing was so close and loud that Arina recorded a goodbye message for me.

And then on February 27, the Russians targeted her street. Arina and her family survived by a miracle. Once the internet was down, she kept a diary on her phone, where she described how scared she was.

 

I praise God that she was able to get out of this hell, and the U.S. Government has approved my petition for Arina to come to the U.S.

She will need all kinds of support here in the new country, and even her travel to the U.S. is an enormous cost that we can barely afford.

Please, support Arina, so that she can get some peace and stable ground here in America!