Hello everyone! As many of you know, I've been going through a challenging time due to the invasion of Ukraine, my home country, and Kharkiv, my home city. My whole family has been affected. Some were forced to flee overnight with bare essentials to Poland, Slovakia, and Germany as refugees. Some are still in Ukraine. I’ve been trying to help them all as much as possible; they need cash, transportation, housing, medicine, food, especially for those left in Kharkiv. 

Alas, I’m only one person, so I’ reach out to my friends, friends of friends, and the universe for more help. I understand that there are many options to donate. I respectfully ask you to consider donating to this cause, as this would have an immediate and direct impact on improving the lives of good people caught up in this tragedy.

If you would like to learn more or wish to help further, in any way, please contact me. In particular, some questions I have are:
          - Would you know of someone who could offer a job in Poland and/or Slovakia to someone with no English and/or Polish or Slovakian? A job close to childcare and/or school/church? because there is no one to leave the kids with or make arrangements for them to be picked up after school.
           - Long term inexpensive housing options (3+ months) in Poland and/or in Slovakia and/or in Magdeburg, Germany.
           - A doctor (paediatrician) specializing in allergies and asthma, who could consult and prescribe medicine in Poland and/or Slovakia. 
 
For those of you who are interested, you can read a bit about my individual family members below.

~ My cousin Tatiana, wife, mother of three children.  Currently in Poland with two younger kids, seeking inexpensive housing, living items for her and the kids as they had to flee after Bogdan, her husband, and Genya, eldest son, stayed behind in Ukraine.
Her youngest son – Sasha – is 6 years old, has asthma and needs medicine and specialist medical care, which we might not be able to get in Poland due to registration issues. They may need to go to Slovakia. There are virtually no reasonably priced long-term housing options, which presents the biggest financial obstacle for them as refugees. Another big obstacle is childcare and schooling in proximity to a potential job and/or housing.

~My dad was in semi-retirement, a caregiver to a disabled relative; in post-hip-surgery recovery with complications. He was uprooted and worked up the strength to be in a car for three days getting to the border, driving through explosions. He needs additional medical help, so donations would go towards his medications.

~ My aunt and grandma need basic living items, and potentially better housing. Currently, the house where they are staying has no kitchen and other basics, so we are in the process of figuring out a better living situation for them. Securing inexpensive long-term housing is a big issue for my family members and refugees in general. That’s in addition to the medical attention they need. My aunt’s hearing was affected by a bomb attack on her building, and she is hoping to get treatment for that too.

~ Many of my relatives have remained in Kharkiv, and require insulin, heart, blood pressure, and other medications. They are also running out of food. These items I help source via volunteers who courageously risk their lives to deliver necessities on the ground. It’s been incredible getting to know some of those volunteers and how they suffer for others. Many of them have been killed just for the sake of helping those who need it.
 
Any funds which might remain unused if the war ends soon, will be used for my family to go back to Kharkiv and rebuild their lives – and the country. 

*One of the bigger projects at home would be re-building my aunt's house if at all possible – it was totally destroyed by a bmb attack.  

*Another big project is to help my aunt Lena, who was an oncologist at a government run hospital, return to Ukraine. She was loyal to the hospital because it served a lower income, older population and refused to take on better paying jobs at private clinics, because of her passion for helping the ones who need it the most. Her biggest dream right now is to return to Kharkiv and start re-building the hospital brick by brick. 

 
Thank you so much for your support and friendship during these most difficult times.

Your friend,
Yuliana