Help for Odessa missile attack victims

My name is Olga, I am Ukrainian, American, Westporter and Odessian, all at the same time, and this is my story. My family left our home in Odessa and came to United States about two years ago. Back in Ukraine my husband had an office job as tariffs broker and I was raising our two sons, preparing to return back to my career in telecommunications, we thought we had a good life, but we also had a feel it would be over. It was scary to leave all behind and come to United States, but we did it for our boys, for the future, for a better life, we embraced American dream so many seek.

We arrived to the US in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic with no language, jobs, or a home of our own. Even though it has not been an easy journey, we were incredibly grateful to begin a new life in such a diverse and compassionate community as Westport. Within a week, my husband joined a construction crew even though he had no idea of how to handle tools prior to that. I have been helping our boys with the cultural transition and learning English. Not too long ago, I began babysitting to contribute to our family income. As challenging as it has been for us, we struggled to accept that what was our home, Ukraine, would be engulfed in war soon after our departure. Our families have been forced to leave their homes, communities, and have lost all sense of safety and security. Their children are living in constant fear and confusion. We have been trying to help them by anyway we could. As if navigating these events weren’t enough, on April 23, we found ourselves staring at our own home on fire being televised and posted on every social media platform. Our home was destroyed in Odessa as errant missile slammed into the side of our apartment budling. Some of you may have seen the news that a little baby girl and her family died in that building, they were our neighbors, and more people died that news did not cover, and even more people are out of their homes, close to 200 people don’t have a place to live now. Our hearts are breaking for our neighbors whose lives were lost or injured and the reality of homelessness for our nephew and his girlfriend who miraculously escaped.

We still consider ourselves lucky to be here and alive, and desperately want to help in any way we can. But we have very limited resources with which to do so. It is with humility that we ask you to please consider donating anything you can. This money will go directly to the families of the victims and towards rebuilding a place we used to call our home. Thank you and God Bless!