Dear friends!

I am reaching out hoping that your kindness and generosity will help a young Ukrainian family settle in Canada.

I met Zhenya Federenko two years ago when she started teaching my son the Russian language remotely through a school in Oakville. We got to know each other and have become friends. She is a very patient and caring teacher, a creative, kind and warm person.

Zhenya and her two daughters (4 and 7) are about to start a new life in Canada after having fled their home in Dnepr, Ukraine, due to the horrific war currently taking place there. Like many other Ukrainians, Zhenya was faced with the impossible decision that no one should have to make and left her home and husband with her young daughters, searching for a safer life and peace.

As soon as the war broke out, I immediately messaged Zhenya to see how they were doing. Her response, although calm, shook me to my core. "We packed our bags and fueled up the car. There is a subway station nearby that is now a bomb shelter. We are just waiting to see what happens." Overnight, the war turned their lives upside down, like millions of other Ukrainians. Any semblance of their everyday life was gone. As time went on Zhenya started to feel that staying put in Dnepr was no longer an option. After several failed attempts to board the overcrowded trains of panicked people trying to flee the city and a long journey Zhenya and her girls finally made it to Warsaw, Poland. Dnepr was bombed the morning Zhenya crossed the Polish border; luckily, her husband and family were not harmed. She was kindly invited to stay with friends in Norway, where she applied for and successfully received a visa to come to Canada.

Zhenya is still deciding where she and her girls will settle down in Canada, but it will be in Ontario. She will be arriving within weeks. Starting from scratch in a new country with two small kids, away from her husband and family, who are back in war-torn Ukraine, is a huge undertaking, and we want to help Zhenya in any way that we can. Having some funds of their own would make such a monumental transition easier. Any money that is raised will be transferred to Zhenya as soon as she is in Canada.

Thank you in advance for your kindness, support and generosity! For those who are unable to donate, that is ok! Please do share the fundraiser to help spread the word.

Palina Klimava

#helpzhenya