Nastya, Mark and Oksana Need Your Help

Hello,

Our names are Oleg and Olga and we are looking for help for our Ukrainian family members (2 women and 1 child) who recently fled Ukraine and will come to Canada in April.

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. As a result, over 1,000 civilians have been killed, 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced, and millions are now refugees. We have not seen this level of a humanitarian crisis in Europe since WW2. Our family, Oleg's brother's wife, her daughter-in-law, and her grandson, also had to flee the war.

On a morning of loud explosions, they jumped in a car, and Nastya had to drive on her own for a day to get to Moldova. That was the first time the young woman drove by herself for such a long time as she just recently learnt how to drive, but adrenalin kicked in, and she managed to get the car to Moldovia. As they drive, they heard explosions but they kept driving. A Moldavian border officer took pity on them and allowed two women with a child to stay overnight in his house with eight other refugees. All of them slept on the floor.

Eventually, Nastya, Oksana and Mark made it to Baku, Azerbaijan, where our other relatives live. They are currently waiting for Canadian visas there. They had to leave their livelihood, homes, dog and husbands and fled the home country to ensure that the family's youngest member was safe. We will help with initial settlement and airplane tickets, but they will need more help covering many living costs, including housing. Our goal is to raise $30,000 to help them settle and cover housing cost, which is quite high in Metro Vancouver. We really appreciate your help. We know it is difficult for everybody now.

Thanks so much for your help. Slava Ukraine!