Help Tomi After Fleeing Ukraine
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Christine. My family is raising money for Tomi (Toe-mee) to attend Red Deer Polytechnic in Red Deer, Alberta. He was a first-year Psychology student at Zaporizhzhia National University in Ukraine and was forced to flee due to the war. He is such a bright and impressive young man and has proven to be very responsible and trustworthy through the process of applying for a Post-Secondary and attaining a study permit. He saved money for 7 years to attend university in Ukraine; we are determined not to let his dreams die due to this terrible war. We hope to raise money to help him with his flight from Europe to Calgary, his first tuition installment and some living expenses until he gets settled with housing and a part-time job.
Read Tomi’s story:
My name is Oluwatosin (Tomi). I am a 26-year-old university student. I am the first of 6 children and the only male. I come from a loving family, and we live in a small town called ILUOMOBA in Nigeria. My dad is a farmer and my mom runs a store and cooks for people.
Once I finished high school at age 19, I could not proceed to university because I had to help take care of my family after our family store was robbed and my parents had to start their lives over. I started working in available jobs in order to take care of my parents and enable my female younger siblings further their education into college.
I worked for six year and gathered enough money to go seek higher education. I have always been a curious person, industrious and I have the passion to help people. I want to become a Psychologist because human behavior is fascinating to me. Perhaps I could be a guide to help people figure out their purpose and live a better life?
The education system is not exactly favorable back in Nigeria so I started my journey by going to Ukraine to pursue my Bachelor of Psychology. I was happy to be there because I believe being immersed in a different culture will help develop my views and give me a better understanding in my career.
It took three terrible days to flee the war in Ukraine. The morning I left, there was a bomb blast near my area and I rushed to the train station. My parents back home were worried sick but I had to maintain my calm to tell them that I was fine; I wasn’t fine at all. I spent about 25 hours on the train leaving from Zaporizhzhia to Lviv with just a bottle of water and chocolate bar. In all of the chaos of that first train ride, I lost my wallet. I luckily encountered a train conductor who let me on the train from Lviv to the border for free.
Once I was safe, I found a way to contact organizations that helped me with shelter and food. I knew I had to press on and continue my education because I could not just let my dreams go. I am now in Munich, Germany and I am safe. I speak with my parents every day and they keep me motivated by saying things like, "we know you are strong and capable!” and “you can do this!”. The encouragement I get daily from them keeps my heart warm and strong.
I am so thankful that I have been accepted into Red Deer Polytechnic and I look forward to continuing my journey in Canada.
Organizer
Christine Traeger
Organizer
Red Deer, AB