Help Oksana start a UK street food business

Let me tell you about Oksana from Melitopol, Ukraine.

She is staying with our family in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, with her 9-year-old daughter Veronika. In 2014, Oksana lost her husband, a pilot in the Ukrainian airforce, when the Russian army shot down his plane. Veronika was only one year old. For many, the war in Ukraine started in February 2022, but for Oksana, it began eight years ago.

Oksana used the compensation she received to purchase the apartment they lived in so that she & her daughter would have a home that would provide not only security but also memories of the precious time with her husband.

Oksana worked for a charity in Ukraine that helped women that had suffered sexual violence & had contracted tuberculosis & HIV as a result. She did this while raising her daughter alone.

In February 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. I can only imagine her fears as a single mother, watching as Russian troops edged closer to her home town. In March, it became clear that she had to leave her home & most of her possessions behind. She packed bags for Veronika & herself. They made the terrifying journey on roads trapped with landmines & witnessed many horrors but arrived safely to stay with family in a safer region in west Ukraine.

Oksana's friend Vira, who was already living in the UK, posted on a Facebook group set up to help refugees in my local area of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, that she was looking for a sponsor & host for her friend & her daughter. My own family had been refugees during the second world war, & we wanted to offer what little help we could.

Oksana & Nika have been living with myself, Toshie, my wife & our two teenage children, Kai & Leela, for three months. They have been learning English. Nika briefly attended school in the last week of term & is looking forward to starting the new school term.

We are now one big family & have enjoyed learning each other's culture, languages (English, Ukrainian & even some Japanese), sightseeing & sharing food.

Oksana is an excellent cook! She enjoys cooking us her favourite Ukrainian dishes such as Borscht (beetroot soup), Blinches (Pancakes) & Serniki (sweet cheese dumplings). She grew up in a foodie family, as her parents ran a small street food catering business. The first Ukrainian word that I learnt is Smachno, which means delicious!

Oksana really wants to start work. She doesn't want to depend on benefits, but while learning English & bringing up her daughter, working part-time on minimum wage will be hard to become independent. We discussed her options & we had the idea to start a small business selling her delicious Ukrainian street food at local markets & food festivals. She is already planning her menu. Apart from providing financial independence, running a business is also a great distraction & will give Oksana something positive & productive to focus her thoughts. She also hopes to help employ some of the local diaspora from Ukraine!

We will use every penny of funding to buy catering equipment, gazebo, signs & pitch fees. She is 100% prepared for hard work. We have set a modest target, but if we can exceed it, she can maybe even buy a small van, catering trailer & book some larger footfall events.

Who knows, one day, she may even be able to open a cafe, restaurant or franchise chain!

Oksana is passionate about helping people & since she has been in the UK, she has used her charity experience to help secure funding from US aid to evacuate 280,000 women fleeing the war.

Let's help Oksana to start her 'Smachno' catering business so that she & her daughter can have the hope of a better future.

We will keep you updated with Oksana's progress.

I appreciate that times are hard & thank you for your donations, however small.

Thank you!

PS. Whether or not you can donate, sharing this fundraiser is a huge help.