Help Sonya and Her Ukrainian Family
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With your help, Sonya and some of her family successfully made the dangerous journey to escape artillery shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine (see below for their story). They lost nearly everything after their home was ruined by bombing. Sonya's father has been working to help children in Kyiv escape to safety. We now hope to provide the traumatized children, Sonya and Polina, with a more stable new life in Poland: school supplies to start remote learning; clothes; shoes; bed linens and towels; books; toys; language lessons in Polish and English; and eye treatment for Sonya’s underlying vision problem that needs correction with some urgency.
Since so many people have kindly asked what else the family needs and how they can help, we increased the goal of the GoFundMe to provide the family with their basic needs to get their life started since they’ve lost everything after leaving Ukraine. Our first priority will continue to be safety, food and shelter for the family in Poland, and for those remaining in danger in Ukraine.
Any amounts raised beyond our goal or their basic needs will be used to provide direct benefits to other Ukrainian families in danger or in need.
For those coming to this page for the first time, here's the initial story:
I've created this page on behalf of my cousin Denys (name changed and photo blurred for his security), his wife Tatiana, and their 6-year old daughter Sonya.
After being bombed, Denys messaged me and shared some photos and a video he took (which I subtitled) below.
From Denys this morning (March 3, 2022) in Chernihiv, Ukraine:
Today planes fired rockets in our neighborhood in Chernihiv. The building next door was destroyed and ours suffered significant damage. Tomorrow we will try to get out of the city to western Ukraine. I'm sorry that I need to ask you for your support if possible, since it will be necessary to transport my wife Tatiana, daughter Sonya, sister Natalia, sister Olga and her little girl Polina to safety in Poland before this madness ends. I will be staying behind to defend my country. If you can provide any information that may be useful, I will be grateful!
Since so many people have kindly asked what else the family needs and how they can help, we increased the goal of the GoFundMe to provide the family with their basic needs to get their life started since they’ve lost everything after leaving Ukraine. Our first priority will continue to be safety, food and shelter for the family in Poland, and for those remaining in danger in Ukraine.
Any amounts raised beyond our goal or their basic needs will be used to provide direct benefits to other Ukrainian families in danger or in need.
For those coming to this page for the first time, here's the initial story:
I've created this page on behalf of my cousin Denys (name changed and photo blurred for his security), his wife Tatiana, and their 6-year old daughter Sonya.
After being bombed, Denys messaged me and shared some photos and a video he took (which I subtitled) below.
From Denys this morning (March 3, 2022) in Chernihiv, Ukraine:
Today planes fired rockets in our neighborhood in Chernihiv. The building next door was destroyed and ours suffered significant damage. Tomorrow we will try to get out of the city to western Ukraine. I'm sorry that I need to ask you for your support if possible, since it will be necessary to transport my wife Tatiana, daughter Sonya, sister Natalia, sister Olga and her little girl Polina to safety in Poland before this madness ends. I will be staying behind to defend my country. If you can provide any information that may be useful, I will be grateful!
UPDATE 1:
I'm happy to share that the two mothers, Tatiana and Olga, and their two young daughters, Sonya and Polina, along with their dog Schwartz, successfully crossed the border into Poland yesterday. It took them several days of driving through extreme danger, and then a final 24 hours of traffic jams, lines, and chaos at the border. They’ve been shown great kindness by the sister of a Chicago friend who took all of them into her own home on the Polish side of the border.
Photo of Sonya parting with her father at the border:
Photo from day one in Poland:
Your support has been instrumental in accomplishing our initial goal of getting the mothers and children to safety. Sonya and her family would like to thank every single one of you who has supported them during this journey. Sonya’s parents wrote, “Thank you for showing such humanity and saving our lives. Our children are now safe and can sleep peacefully. They are starting to be themselves again.”
We are now working to help them to rebuild their lives, since all they have left was packed into one carry-on size suitcase per person. Your support has been critical in helping them get food, clothes, SIM cards and other life necessities. For now, they are also missing their fathers and husbands, who have been required to stay behind and remain in grave danger. We are also trying to do what we can to help them because they are homeless due to Russian military destruction of their homes and hometown.
If you are interested in helping them rebuild their lives or helping the family members still trapped in Ukraine, please consider adding to their GoFundMe account.
The story you helped make possible aired on NBC News and can be viewed here:
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/ukrainians-in-the-u-s-working-to-help-refugees-escape-war-134908997988
I'd like to tell you more about the children you helped save. Sonya, at 5 years old, came in 1st place at the Mental Math Olympiad.
Sonya's math skills:
And Polina competed in the Table Tennis Championship:
Lastly, many of you have asked in what other ways you can help Ukrainians. Here is a link with lots of information and resources: https://how-to-help-ukraine-now.super.site/
I'm happy to share that the two mothers, Tatiana and Olga, and their two young daughters, Sonya and Polina, along with their dog Schwartz, successfully crossed the border into Poland yesterday. It took them several days of driving through extreme danger, and then a final 24 hours of traffic jams, lines, and chaos at the border. They’ve been shown great kindness by the sister of a Chicago friend who took all of them into her own home on the Polish side of the border.
Photo of Sonya parting with her father at the border:
Photo from day one in Poland:
Your support has been instrumental in accomplishing our initial goal of getting the mothers and children to safety. Sonya and her family would like to thank every single one of you who has supported them during this journey. Sonya’s parents wrote, “Thank you for showing such humanity and saving our lives. Our children are now safe and can sleep peacefully. They are starting to be themselves again.”
We are now working to help them to rebuild their lives, since all they have left was packed into one carry-on size suitcase per person. Your support has been critical in helping them get food, clothes, SIM cards and other life necessities. For now, they are also missing their fathers and husbands, who have been required to stay behind and remain in grave danger. We are also trying to do what we can to help them because they are homeless due to Russian military destruction of their homes and hometown.
If you are interested in helping them rebuild their lives or helping the family members still trapped in Ukraine, please consider adding to their GoFundMe account.
The story you helped make possible aired on NBC News and can be viewed here:
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/ukrainians-in-the-u-s-working-to-help-refugees-escape-war-134908997988
I'd like to tell you more about the children you helped save. Sonya, at 5 years old, came in 1st place at the Mental Math Olympiad.
Sonya's math skills:
And Polina competed in the Table Tennis Championship:
Lastly, many of you have asked in what other ways you can help Ukrainians. Here is a link with lots of information and resources: https://how-to-help-ukraine-now.super.site/
Organizer
Andrei Molchanov
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA