All donations will go directly to Viktoriia and her daughter Anastasiia. The goal is to set up temporary housing and living essentials to help them get on their feet and restore some much deserved normalcy to their lives. Viktoriia will be actively be looking for a job once we finalize her work permit status.

Thank you in advance for helping a family in need. Every donation matters and every share is greatly appreciated!

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, I like many have been seeking a most impactful way to help.  Being from Ukraine and having moved to the US  as a refugee, I know first-hand what it's like to be uprooted.  Leaving behind everything and moving to an unfamiliar country where you don't know the language, people or culture. Everything is new, and all you literally have is a suitcase.

From speaking to friends and family I unfortunately learned of the many tragic and often horrific stories. Each day that goes by another person is killed, raped or ripped apart from their family. This is why I chose to help a widowed mother and daughter. My ask is that you join me in helping them to resettle in the US.  Like many in Ukraine, their lives were upended on February 24th.  After being trapped for weeks under Russian military occupancy, they took a chance to escape Ukraine for the unknown. 
 
Her story is of heroism and hope for a peaceful and free life; I believe it’s best told in her own words (translated from her native Ukrainian):

“My name is Viktoriia and I first learned of the Russian invasion of my home country when I found myself and my 12-year-old daughter Anastasiia trapped in the port city of Heniches’k while it fell under Russian control.

 

I watched the news of the invasion on my phone to the sounds of nearby shelling. I didn't know what to do, we lost electricity and access to clean water & food supplies running out - my shock turned into a desperation to get my petrified daughter to safety!

 

On March 8th, I made the decision to attempt to flee the area to attempt to save my daughter. The trip out of the war zone was more difficult than I could have imagined. With no access to any form of transportation, the only choice was to find a random person willing to take the risk of making the drive out of the city with us.

 

Due to heavy shelling, there were no available taxis or public transportation since all the roads were destroyed. Not giving up, by a miracle I found another stranded woman with her daughter and an African foreign exchange student who helped find a vehicle and a driver. We used hand drawn maps to drive to the Zaporizhya train station in hopes of finding someone that could assist. The planned 3 hour trip turned into a 27 hour nightmare of night driving without headlights, avoiding shelling and being spotted by the military.

 

On our first day, after driving 12 hours and just as we were approaching nighttime, we unexpectedly ran into a Russian military checkpoint. Fearing for our lives, we immediately turned back. Shortly after, our driver found an abandoned house without heat or electricity to wait out til the morning. We were too scared and cold to sleep. At daybreak, we squeezed into the car and resumed our journey. Eight hours later we saw the city of Zaporizhya in the distance. I can’t tell you what an amazing relief that was!

 

Zaporizhya was one of the few cities left in the area with an operational westbound railway station as far as we knew. We couldn't stop crying as we hugged and thanked our brave driver.

 

At the train station, train cars were packed with women and children; all were displaced from nearby towns and seeking shelter and refuge in western Ukraine. After several hours waiting, we finally boarded a train heading to Lviv. For the first time in weeks, I sat down with my daughter in my arms and thought to myself, we may survive this.

 

In Lviv, I was able to connect with a friend who took us into his home to rest and give us a meal. I was still trying to figure out our next steps when life brought two Ukrainian immigrants into my life.”

 

Here is where our stories merge and when my friend and I came into Viktoriia's life. Having learned about the emergence of a humanitarian parole program (one that allows refugees to legally enter the United Stated on a temporary 12 month visa) we needed to get them to a US-Mexico border crossing.  To make this plan a reality,  we volunteered to take on the responsibility for all airfare and travel accommodations from Poland to Mexico and onward travel within the United States . 

Thank you again for being part of this story in helping a family survive a war.   We will continuously provide status updates to document this family's journey. We pray for their safety and eagerly await their arrival in the United States.   

 

Edward & Dmitry