Help Ukrainian Women

My name is Galyna and I am Ukrainian by birth, my first language is Ukrainian. I am also a Canadian citizen, and last week my 10 year-old son and I fled the Ukraine, leaving my husband behind. We were very lucky to have amazing colleagues and friends who supported and helped us through this difficult time. However, most people in Ukraine are not that fortunate. Watching this heartbreaking tragedy unfold before my own eyes has been a devastating experience. Now that I am safe, I need to support others and I am kindly asking for your help! There are three families who are desperately needing your support. Three women with children will be arriving to Canada within the next couple of weeks with nothing but a few backpacks of their belongings. They left everything behind and most importantly, they had to leave behind their loved ones. As men in Ukraine are not currently able to leave the country, all three women are living alone with their children in very dangerous situations.

 

Family #1 

Kateryna (Katia), her two children (Sofia is 12 and Danylo is 6), and her parents, Mykhaylo and Myroslava. Kateryna was an Associate Professor of Public and Private Law at the University in Ivano-Frankivsk. On 24 February 2022 her life and the lives of her children changed forever when she heard three explosions just a few kilometres away from her house. The next day she found herself, the kids, and her parents at the Refugee camp in Hungary. She says the most difficult part in all of this was telling her 6 year-old that his Dad will join them soon and that they’ll go back home, without knowing if any of it is true as her husband is still in Ukraine.

 

Family #2 

Anastasia and two children (Akim is 14 and Vsevolod is 9). Prior to the invasion, Anastasia was a successful Copywriter. She is now unemployed and exhausted. Living in fear for herself and the lives of her children. They are currently in Ukraine and need to flee the country ASAP as the situation is very unsafe and unstable. She has been separated from her husband.

 

Family #3

Yulia and two children (Yaryna is 6 and Daryna is 6 months old). Yulia is a stay-at-home Mom and the wife of a military pilot who is bravely defending Ukraine. Yulia is exhausted and scared, having to run to the basement multiple times a night with her small children to shelter from bombings and gunfire. It is not safe for her or her children and she has been separated from her husband. 

 

There is nothing we can do to ease their sorrow and heartbreak, but we could at least make the transition to Canada comfortable by showing them that there is a community wanting to support them, who cares about their safety. 

 

If you have any items you'd like to donate, please email me at: [email redacted]. I can arrange pick-up of items that cannot be delivered.

 

 Thank you again for being willing to touch lives, to make a difference, and to give these families a chance for a better and safer life in Canada.