Bring Hope to the Merzhan Family: Donate Now

Please help a family flee the dangers of war-torn Ukraine

Please consider donating to help rescue a family of five from a war-torn area of Ukraine. The Merzhan family is one of many who've had to flee the violence inflicted upon them by Putin’s Russian Federation. Your donation will help us rebuild their lives here in the United States.

Here is a simple summary of Hennadii and Irina Merzhan and their three young children’s plight since the war broke out:

At the beginning of the war we lived near Odessa, a military town within easy bombardment range of the Russian military. We realized we were in danger of imminent attack right away, so we left our suitcases packed by the front door and slept in our day clothing. My husband and I would take turns sleeping in order to not miss the air alarms. Every day I bought fresh bread and cookies for the children and left them in the car along with blankets and toys in case we needed to leave quickly.

A week after the war started we had to leave and went to Lviv near the Polish border. It was a little calmer and the children slept through the night for the first time. In April 2022 we moved again to a village in the Kyiv region and still live there. It is too dangerous to return home. For the past two years the children have never slept in another room, only next to me, because they are afraid a rocket might fly into the house. We would like to leave Ukraine as soon as possible…..every day it becomes more difficult….autumn and winter will be very difficult without light and heating.

So what can be done?

Many of us have considered ways to help counter the devastation of the Ukrainian war. Here is your opportunity to directly help a Ukrainian family. The U.S. government program, Uniting for Ukraine, provides two-year visas to refugee Ukrainians to live, at least temporarily, in the U.S. as the war unfolds. Financial support in the first 3 to 6 months comes from individuals like you and resettlement agencies such as Lutheran Social Services and the Minnesota Council of Churches.

Our team will use donations to facilitate their travel, find housing, employment, schools, medical services, daycare and the numerous other areas of making a new home for them in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Area. Our role as sponsors is to be their advocates, guides, and ultimately friends while they establish themselves as self-sufficient new Americans, for as long as they decide and are able to stay. Financially, these funds will help establish the Merzhan family here to help them get on their feet in our wonderful state. We plan to provide airfare and rental assistance along with necessary clothing, food, and furniture while we assist them with navigating through their new lives here. Once they are established with their own SSNs, bank accounts and work permits, the remaining funds will be transferred to them in order to make sure they are taken care of until they are able to find employment here.

Thank you again so much for your consideration and your generosity to welcome this family and help bring them the dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Update – Sasha Orlov and Viktoriia Orlova and Family

The first family you helped bring to Minnesota in May 2023 is Sasha Orlov, his wife Viktoriia Orlova and children Sophia and Danil. Sasha continues to work in a cabinetry shop in Hudson and has started to take on projects on the side in hopes of being able to start his own cabinetry shop here in Minnesota. He owned his own cabinetry shop in Ukraine and is extremely hardworking and immensely talented! Viktoriia is cleaning houses and is busy taking care of Danil and Sophia and making sure they are taking advantage of all the Woodbury area has to offer. Sophia will start middle school and Danil will start kindergarten in the fall 2024.

After the initial Go Fund Me campaign and six months assistance from Lutheran Social Services, the Orlovs are now self-sufficient. We are still very involved in their lives and see them on a regular basis. We have had pool parties, zoo and apple orchard outings, a Ukranian Chistmas party and introduced them to the Super Bowl – Sasha even won $20 on a board, although he had no clue why he won and what it was about! It has been an amazing experience helping them acclimate to life in Minnesota. They are ready and willing to welcome the Merzhan family to Minnesota.