Help me sponsor a female Ukrainian artist!

Introduction

 

My name is Elena, and I am fundraising to bring a female Ukrainian artist, Inna, and her young son to the U.S. on a special 2-year humanitarian parole visa called Uniting for Ukraine . With no signs of diminishing hostilities in the near future and increased economic difficulties, I am eager to get them to a safe place until the war is over. 

 

Inna and her husband were my friends and hosts when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in their village several years ago. I want to return their hospitality and host Inna and their son in my home in Washington DC (Ukrainian men cannot leave the country).  I will provide them with housing as well as emotional and logistic support, but I will need help with the associated financial costs. It is expensive to start a new life in a foreign country, and I want to provide my friend with all the resources she needs to be successful and independent. See below for a detailed cost breakdown. 

Inna (left) and me (right) hanging out by the Dniester river with her son in summer 2017 during my Peace Corps service in Ukraine.

About the Artist 

Although Inna is trained in several mediums, she specializes in leather and textile work, crafting exquisite handbags, belts, shoes, and jewelry. Here are some samples of her work:

I want to provide her with all the tools and materials she needs to continue her craft when they arrive in DC. Sales of her work will serve as a modest source of income until she receives employment authorization which usually takes 5-7 months after application. 

Please help me sponsor this young and talented Ukrainian woman and her son. They deserve to live in safe and art-supporting community such as DC until they can return home to a peaceful country.

Thank you so much! Дуже дякую!

~Slava Ukraini~

Cost Breakdown

To show my donors transparency about these expenses, I've created this line item budget for the first 6-months (sorry I couldn't make it bigger):