Ukraine to North Bay - Bieliaiev family

Hi, my name is Tina and I am fundraising for the Bieliaiev family so they can start their new life in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. The Bieliaievs are a family of 5; dad (Andrii) is a lawyer, mom (Maryna) is a seamstress, and their three children (ages 4, 10, and 15 years). They were forced to flee their home country of Ukraine due to the ongoing war. Because their pets are their family, they also have gone to great lengths to make sure that their two dogs, cat, and guinea pig were also to escape and stay with them!

 

The Bieliaiev family is from the city of Mariupol, and they have lost everything - their family, friends, home, and livelihoods. They are currently sheltering in Denmark waiting for their visa applications to be processed under Canada's CUAET program, which will allow them to work and study. Their goal once they settle is to get on the path to permanent residency.

 

The story of how I first met the Bieliaiev family is a long one. In the days after war erupted in Ukraine, I stumbled across a Facebook page connecting Ukrainians fleeing the war with their pets to families in Europe who were trying to reach out to help shelter them, provide transport, and give information and support. As an animal lover with several dogs and cats of my own, I couldn’t imagine being in the position of having to flee from war with not only my children, but also with all my pets. There was one post that especially caught my eye, one of a family fleeing with children and a number of pets, including a guinea pig, that they refused to leave behind, trying to reach Denmark. As I read the comments, mainly an outpouring of support, I noticed the poster indicated that their ultimate goal was to emigrate to Canada. I replied with a comment of my own, indicating to please reach out, I am Canadian and can offer help once you get to Canada. As you can guess, that original post was from the Bieliaiev family! From there a Facebook friendship started, and as the time came that the CUAET program opened up, and their journey to Canada became more imminent, we began messaging back and forth, and then eventually connected through video chat, about traveling with pets, employment, the path to accreditation for practicing law, where to settle, questions about Canada, and so on. Through this process I have found myself becoming more and more endeared to this very special family. Their optimism, determination, and sheer will to survive is astounding. Their choice to move to North Bay is partially because they know I am here to help them, but also as they learned more about the city they found that it matched well with their love of nature, their desire for a safe community, and a place they can grow their family in peace.

 

The featured picture is a painting created by the Bieliaiev's 10-year-old daughter. She painted it while waiting in Denmark to come to Canada. It shows a starry sky over a Northern Ontario forest at sunrise. I feel like it is symbolic of the optimism this family has about their new beginnings in Canada.

 

Given the circumstances, I am fundraising to help them get a start in their new life in North Bay. These are the costs I am trying to cover:

Airplane tickets for family and pets $4000

Medical exams on arrival in Canada $1250

Cost of food and other essential supplies to get started $3000

Cost of fee to start process with National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) $450

Miscellaneous fees/costs associated with newcomers $1300

Total goal: $10,000