Help Ukraine mother and daughter coming to Canada

Hello everyone, I live in Mississauga, Ontario, and I'm fundraising for a mother (Natali) who is sending her 15-year-old daughter (Kira) from Ukraine so she can live safely and receive an education not disrupted by the war. I connected with this family on a Facebook group to help Ukrainians coming to Canada, and I plan to take their daughter Kira into my home when they arrive. I have a daughter the same age. They can go to school together and have already connected on several Zoom calls. Kira is a lovely girl and very positive and brave about starting a new life in Canada. Kira speaks good beginner English and has studied for several months to improve it.

This fundraiser was initially set up to raise funds for a flight. With the generous donations we have already received and a company match, I am happy to say we were able to book the flights! I am leaving this page open if anyone would like to make additional donations to help this family with personal costs and start an education fund for Kira. She would like to go to University in Canada in a few more years.

Thank you to everyone for your support! Carolyn

In Natali’s own words:

We are a family from Ukraine, the war in our country is continue. My name is Nataliia, my daughter Kira and she is 15 years old. That her life does not threaten anything at this time, for her safe, I decided that she would be the best in Canada and the host family agreed to take Kira and they are ready to become her legal guardian. The family is in Mississauga, Ontario. I plan to fly with my daughter, meet with the host family, issue important documents and return to Ukraine to my husband. Now we are in Kyiv and are engaged in volunteering. We already have visas. And we are ready to go to Canada in the near time. I will be grateful for the help.

Thank you very much in advance to the generous people who help to get Natali and Kira here!

More information about Kira:

Kira has been spending most of her time with her Grandparents, who are in a smaller city on the west of Ukraine. She is from Kyiv, where her mother and stepfather are volunteering with the military now, which is the capital of Ukraine. She said that in the previous week there had been 40 missiles to Kyiv from Russian forces in Belarus, one of which destroyed a home with civilians in it.

Kira is of course very worried to travel to Canada on her own, and does not want to go without her mother, who is planning to come with her to meet our family, make sure she is safe, complete documents and grant me legal guardianship of Kira in Canada.

Kira loves school and wants to study. Because of the war in Ukraine, it is very difficult to study. Kira has a work and study permit for Canada, and will attend high school in Mississauga. Since Kira is 15 and she can legally work here in Canada, she wants to get a job right away. Kira has a plan to work all throughout her high school years while here in Canada, so that she can save for her future university education. She is not certain yet what she wants to study, although she is interested in architecture.

In Kira’s own words she wants to come to Canada because “in Canada, a lot of people are helping our children. Because of the war, everyone left.”

More information about Natali:

When the war started, they thought it would all be over in a week or two. Then they thought it would be a month or two... and unfortunately it continues today. At some point, they realized that it is not known how long this war will last. And of course at some point the feeling came that her child should live calmly and balanced in another country where it is calm and safe, and where there is a large Ukrainian community, and people are willing to sincerely support and help. Since Natali’s friends were also going to Toronto, they thought that Canada was a good place for Kira to live, study and possibly stay. Education influenced a big part of their decision, because there has been no proper opportunity to study in the Ukraine for six months now. At first, they tried some online study, but for the last three months it has been very difficult, because many of the teachers and children have already left. Since Kira already has started her high school education, her mother has a hope for her to at least finish high school. Natali is very worried about how everything will turn out and how her and her daughter will be able to be at such a long distance, however she hopes that they can get through this. She said, “We at least have to try.”

Her husband is 52, which is above the draft age for the military, so they work together to supply food and feed the military when hostilities have taken place in and near Kyiv. When they are not taking place, they are collecting food products, hygiene products and what the military needs to the east of Ukraine, where the hot phase of the war is going on.