Refugee Family from Donbas, Ukraine

Hi, my name is Margarita, and I am fundraising to help bring the family of my Ukrainian cousin to the United States. His name is Ivan Goncharov. We grew up together in Donbas in the 1990s. I always thought of him as my little brother.

This kid was dealt a tough hand at the start. Ivan's parents were in a tragic car accident when Ivan was six. His mother died on impact, and his father was on the brink of death in the hospital for many days after. We took Ivan into our home during this time as his father's road to recovery was long and arduous.

When his father finally left the hospital, he took Ivan back home and the year after, my family immigrated to the United States, hoping to someday reunite with them.

When Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, all non-disabled men were drafted to fight. Because Russia already controlled the Donbas region since the 2014 invasion, the men were forced to fight against our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, regardless of their beliefs. Two of my male cousins were taken to the front for this very choiceless reason. Ivan was going to be third.

Risking his life, Ivan escaped the draft and crossed the border into Russia through fields and forests to avoid border patrol. He later reunited with his wife Angelina and their 5-year-old son Mark. Knowing they could never go home again, Ivan's family temporarily settled in Latvia.

I know Ivan to be a survivor, a hard worker and a kindhearted soul. Now, I want to find support for him and his family to come to the United States for reunification and a new start.

As the year is coming to an end and we are all reflecting on how much we have here as well as the many blessings we can share with others, please consider donating to this cause. Any contribution you feel called to make will be greatly appreciated if your heart is open to supporting this small refugee family from Donbas, Ukraine.

Your money will go toward buying tickets for Ivan's family and will give them a start at building a new life. If for any reason, their documents are not approved to come over to the United States through the U4U Program, the donated funds will be given to Ivan in support of rebuilding his family's life somewhere in the EU.

Whether or not you can donate to this cause, I humbly ask that you please share this family's story with the people you know by sending them the link to this page. Please help me bring my cousin here and give his family a chance at a peaceful, new life.