Ukrainian Mother & Child Find Refuge in Minnesota

Please welcome to the United States Viktoriya S. and her daughter Zlata (11), who arrived on July 20 under the Uniting for Ukraine sponsorship program. They traveled here from their home in Kryvyi Rih in southeastern Ukraine, which is currently under direct threat from the Russian invasion. In my first video call with the family, they showed me Zlata’s karate medals (she holds a brown belt), their pet cat Sonya, and the plywood covering the windows in their apartment as protection in case the building was hit by rockets from the front line.

Zlata’s school was online since the first day of the conflict on February 24, and with the war showing no signs of ending soon, school was likely to continue online in the coming year. The family’s friends had already fled Ukraine to other countries throughout Europe. With air raid sirens going off daily and children confined indoors most of the time, Viktoriya finally decided to leave her job as a government compliance lawyer so that she could bring Zlata to safety and a school with other children this coming fall. Viktoriya’s husband remains behind, per martial law requirements in Ukraine, his salary was cut by 2/3, and his job (and life) is at risk if the factory where he works is bombed. Her parents also remain, further away from the front line. Viktoriya and Zlata will stay with me for up to 2 years, or less if the conflict resolves and it is safe for them to return home.

It can take up to 6 months for Ukrainians arriving under this program to receive their US work permits. Until she has a work permit, Viktoriya will be learning English and looking forward to taking a job and becoming as independent as possible. This GoFundMe account will help to support her and Zlata while they adjust to their new life here. The money will be used primarily for their everyday expenses such as food, clothing, school supplies and activities, to give Zlata as much sense of normalcy as possible. Transportation costs may also be funded from this account.

The US federal government provides no coordination to match sponsors and refugees. The Uniting for Ukraine program simply permits entry to those refugee families who already have a sponsor. Matching sponsors and refugees (beneficiaries) is left to informal social networks, such as those found on Facebook. We are grateful to the many volunteers who are matching sponsors and Ukrainian beneficiaries in the Facebook group “North America for Ukraine (USA and Canada)”. If you are able to sponsor a refugee individual or family, we highly recommend contacting this group and filling out their intake form. There is no fee or commitment to use this service. As a sponsor, you would describe what you can offer and a coordinator will contact you and set up a group chat if you would like to proceed with a particular family.

We would also like to thank Safe Passage 4 Ukraine, a 501(c)3 organization that was able to match Viktoriya and Zlata with an anonymous donor who purchased their airline tickets from Warsaw, Poland, to Minneapolis. Volunteers on the ground in Ukraine and Poland organized car transport, a border crossing, and overnight accommodation to make the 4-day journey from Kryvyi Rih as safe and smooth as possible. If you are not in a position to become a sponsor, perhaps you could help this organization by donating airline miles, hotel points, or other resources that will be put to immediate use in evacuating refugees from Ukraine. sp4ukraine.org

It is hard to describe the courage Viktoriya and Zlata have shown, leaving behind their loved ones, traveling to a country they have never seen, meeting people they don’t know, facing a language they have not used, and not knowing their job prospects. I am grateful for the trust they have given me in becoming their sponsor for the time they are here. We have already developed a bond between our families that will last for the rest of our lives. I’m looking forward to the day that I can visit Ukraine and they can show me the beauty of their land and culture in a time of peace.

On behalf of Viktoriya and Zlata and their family, we thank you for your support.

Lexa Woods

Chanhassen, MN