Help our family start a new life away from Ukraine
Donation protected
My name is Xavier and I live with my Ukrainian wife Natasha, our baby girl, and a dog in Barcelona.
On February 24th of 2022, our family life was suddenly turned upside down with Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.
We are now trying to help our Ukrainian family refloat their business and start a new life in Barcelona in a safe environment under an international protection status.
NELLY & NIKITA NIKITCHENKO
From one day to the next, we were forced to flee my parents-in-law, Nelly and Nikita, and their 3 dogs out of the country. It took us 9 awful days and nights. The van they were traveling in broke in the outskirts of Kyiv, in the middle of the night, and they were forced to find shelter in a basement nearby with total strangers. Bombs were falling above their heads and Russian tanks were close so finding a new car and driver that could bring them closer to the EU border became a nightmare but with the priceless help of our network, we found them a way out.
Nelly and Nikita made it to the Ukrainian border two days after on Saturday 5th of March where my brother-in-law and I were ready to pick them up and drive them to Barcelona after dropping a car full of Humanitarian Aid at one of the border’s NGOs.
Because of the war, Natasha’s parents lost their apartment in Kyiv, their pensions, and unfortunately, one of their dogs, that couldn’t handle the stress and passed away shortly after arriving in Barcelona where the vets couldn’t do anything to save her.
ANASTASIIA & ALEXANDER MYKOLAIENKO—FASHION RACING
On the other hand, my sister-in-law and her husband were already with us in Barcelona since they came to meet our baby a few days before the war started. At the moment, it is very unlikely that they will be able to go back home anytime soon.
Anastasia and Alexander are a talented and hard-working couple and owners of Fashion Racing, a handmade leather workshop + showroom, and their lifetime project. They left everything behind in their hometown Kyiv and are unable to sell their goods online at the moment until they become legal residents in Spain and manage to get some of their stock back.
Fashion Racing's plan is to open a new workshop in Barcelona and employ Nelly and Nikita so they can make a living by helping with the family business.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
From a family point of view, this is a success story since we’ve already accomplished the most important, bringing the family back together.
Still, the Nikitchenko & Mykolaienko families pretty much lost everything and we will need financial help to get them back on track and open a new workshop where to craft their leather goods.
Mostly, we are raising money to help our family with the following:
- Buy materials, machinery, and tools for Fashion Racing.
- Rent a space to set up the Fashion Racing atelier/workshop.
- Buy furniture, home appliances, kitchenware, etc. to fill in the apartment that we are already providing.
LINKS
Thank you very much!
Co-organizers (2)
Xavi Cussó
Organizer
Barcelona, CT
Anastasiia Mykolaienko
Beneficiary
Nataliia Nikitchenko
Co-organizer