Flights for Sisters Natalya, Uliana and children

Our names are Natalya and Uliana Tkachyshyn. We are sisters. The history of our family is very difficult. Our grandparents grew up, married and lived in the village of Yazenytsy (Ukraine). In 1948, our grandfather was arrested by the Soviet authorities as a Bandera (rebel guerrilla), and was sent to prison, along with his wife (our grandmother), who was pregnant at the time. Our father, Oleg, was born in a prison cell. Under the verdict of the authorities, our grandparents were expelled from Ukraine to Siberia, and could not return to Ukraine after their prison sentence. Later, our grandparents and their children were able to escape and return to Ukraine, where their property had been confiscated by Soviet authorities. They had to start from the beginning, under continual Soviet threat. As time passed their children grew up and married. Our father, Oleg, knew how to work with electricity, and when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, he went to eliminate the consequences of the explosion as part of the work. He received a significant dose of radiation exposure and died a short time later. My mother was left to raise us children on her own. Time passed and we grew up, were educated, got married, and had children of our own. We could not imagine that, in the 21st Century, we would be forced to flee the war and seek protection in another state. There are rocket explosions all over Ukraine, civilians are dying, and houses are being destroyed. People have lost not only their homes and jobs, but some have lost their lives. We live in fear for our lives and the lives of our children just as our parents did before us. May God bless Ukraine and its people.

– Natalya and Ulaina Tkachyshyn

Natalya, Uliana, and their two children are safe in Poland, having escaped the war in Ukraine, leaving their husbands and parents behind to fight against Soviet forces. They have used all of their resources on food and shelter and are in urgent need of relocation. We, the Smaha’s, are second cousins to the Tkachyshyn’s, and felt compelled to act as we watch in horror as the atrocities unfold in Ukraine. Thanks to the generosity of the local Canadian Ukrainian community in Nanaimo, British Columbia, and dear friends we have secured shelter, education, and transportation, to offer to our extended family fleeing the war. However, we are in need of funds to help cover the cost of flights to relocate Natalya, Uliana and their children to Vancouver, Canada. Our hope is to raise $8000 to assist us with these costs. Funds raised in excess of this goal will be used to purchase food, clothing, and other staples upon arrival. Any support you could offer will go a long way to helping a family fulfill the basic human need of safety and security of life.

Respectfully The Smahas, Mickelows, and Gildner families