Help a Ukrainian Mom of Two Stay Safe and Legal in the U.S.

I am a Ukrainian single mother asking for help so my daughters can continue living safely and legally in the United States.

My name is Ilona Tremba, and I am the mother of two daughters — Renata Radchenko (16) and Erika Radchenko (14). In October 2022, we came to the United States from Kyiv, Ukraine through the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program after the war began.

I brought my daughters here for one simple reason — so they could live without fear.

At the time, we believed our stay might be temporary — perhaps six months or a year — and that we would return home once it became safe. Sadly, the war is still ongoing, and returning is not safe.

One of the main reasons I brought my daughters to the United States was to protect their emotional and mental well-being. Life in Ukraine during the war is extremely difficult and unpredictable. In many places electricity is cut off for up to 20 hours a day, and during winter there is often no heating even when temperatures drop to −20°C.

People live with constant air raid sirens, missile and drone attacks, explosions, and shelling. Children grow up with fear, interrupted schooling, and the constant stress of not knowing what will happen next.

I made the hardest decision of my life — to leave our home and everything familiar — so my daughters could feel safe and have the chance to live a normal childhood.

We now live in Redding, California, and we are incredibly grateful to the American family who sponsored us and helped us during our first year here. They supported us with housing and guidance as we navigated the system. Thanks to their kindness, my daughters were able to enroll in school and begin rebuilding their lives.

Today my girls are living peaceful teenage lives. They attend school every day and participate in activities. My younger daughter plays basketball and soccer, and my older daughter continues ballet training, something she has loved since childhood.

They sleep through the night.

They no longer wake up to sirens.

They do not run to bomb shelters.

They are safe.

However, our legal status under the U4U parole program expires in October 2026.

Although our current legal status expires in October 2026, USCIS requires that we submit our renewal applications several months in advance, which means I must file them in May.

Under updated USCIS rules, renewing our parole and work authorization requires significant government filing fees.

The total cost for our family is approximately $7,000, which is why this fundraiser goal is set at that amount.

Breakdown of the required costs

• approximately $1,325 per person in USCIS filing fees to submit the renewal applications for re-parole and work authorization (Forms I-131 and I-765)

• For three of us, this equals about $3,975 just to file the applications

After the applications are reviewed, the government requires an additional immigration fee of approximately $1,000 per person after conditional approval of the re-parole, which brings the remaining cost to about $3,000 for our family.

These are official government fees required by USCIS, and this fundraiser will help cover both steps of the process — submitting our applications and later paying the additional government fee after conditional approval.

I am a single mother and the only income provider in our household. I work and earn enough to cover rent, utilities, food, gas, clothing, and school-related expenses, but I simply cannot save thousands of dollars in such a short time.

Every dollar raised through this fundraiser will go directly toward USCIS filing fees and required immigration documentation so my daughters can continue living safely and attending school.

Asking for help is not easy for me. But protecting my children and their future is more important than pride.

Any support you can give will help us stay safe and together in the U.S.

Even a small contribution brings us one step closer to securing our legal status and continuing our life here in peace.

If you are unable to donate, sharing our story would also mean the world to us.

As a mother, my greatest wish is simply for my daughters to grow up in safety, stability, and peace.

Thank you for reading our story.

Thank you for your kindness.

Thank you for giving my daughters the chance to keep growing up in peace.

With gratitude,

Ilona