Support for Ukrainian and Belarusian refugees

Dear Friends,

 

Like many of you, I have been watching the horrifying Russian invasion of Ukraine for weeks now, feeling devastated and distraught over the unbelievable and senseless aggression, loss of life, and the heartbreaking images of families fleeing their homes. As some of you know, I was born and raised in Poland for the first nine years of my life, with most of my family still living in Poland. Given that Ukraine is a neighbor and friend to the east, the vast majority of Ukrainians fleeing the war have been crossing over to Poland- as of this writing, almost three million refugees have come to Poland in search of safety. In addition to the refugees coming from Ukraine, there are also young Belarusians who have had to flee their homes for opposing the Putin and Lukashenko regimes, some becoming refugees twice- once after escaping Belarus and the second time having to flee bombs in Ukraine.

 

Many Polish families have opened their homes to the incoming refugees, my family - based in Krakow - included. Currently, my father and immediate family are directly supporting six individuals who fled the war, offering the group housing across two apartments, food, clothes, and other core needs. The group ranges in ages from 24 to 65, five women and two men, who have had to leave everything and all of their belongings behind and escape to Poland. Below you will find their individual stories.

 

While the group's needs differ, most of them will not be able to go back to Ukraine any time soon, given the level of violence and destruction. My family and I will continue supporting them and would like to ensure that they have housing, food, supplies and key resources in Krakow, which include Polish language classes, computers, internet connectivity, and support in finding work. We are looking to raise $20,000 to support the group and cover their basic costs of living as they start their lives from scratch, which we anticipate they will need help with until at least the end of 2022.

The group has been extremely gracious and modest, asking for very little. With the exception of a retired couple that is part of the group, the rest of our guests are a mix of young professionals and a mom with two children, whose lives came to a sudden halt upon the Russian invasion. Back in Ukraine and Belarus they worked in academia, graphic design, elder care, energy, and medicine, with their lives upended and forever changed in a matter of days under the brutality of the Putin and Lukashenko regimes. They are all devastated but also eager to learn Polish and find work  to support themselves until such time that they are able to go back home. Given the immense devastation in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks by Russia, this may sadly take a long time. 

 

Please help my family and I support  Alina, Kateryna, Andriy, Vladyslav, Olga, and Nadiya settle in safely in Poland and have a chance to start over after having had to flee Ukraine. All of the funds raised, which is what we estimated will be needed until the end of the year, will go to pay for the group's food, housing, utilities, clothing, Polish lessons, and other transition needs. Anything extra will be donated to other displaced families, of which there are now more than 150,000 in Krakow alone. 

Many thanks to everyone for any financial support you can lend as well as for sharing this fundraiser. 

With deepest gratitude and appreciation,

Lucy Jodlowska and Family

---------- Individual stories------------

Olga and Vladyslav are a retired couple in their 60s who almost died in a shelling of a grocery store near their home in Chernihiv. They escaped in their car and drove towards the Polish border. Although they got into an accident five days into their escape, they miraculously made it and were admitted as refugees. Prior to retirement, Olga used to be a caretaker for the elderly and Vladyslav worked for an energy company. Although their home sustained damages in the shelling, they are both eager to go back to Ukraine as soon as it safe to do so, and live out the rest of their lives on their own property, growing vegetables and maintaining their small farm. When it will be safe enough for them to do so is under a big question mark. 

Nadiya, 50, fled with her family from Chernihiv, 150km north of Kiev, which sustained heavy bombing at the beginning of the invasion. The family escaped at a point where half of the city was gone and bridges were blown up, and to escape meant having to by pass by dead bodies in the streets, which has been traumatizing for her and her children. Nadiya was a small business owner in Ukraine, managing a car rental service, and hopes to be able to find work in the same industry in Poland once she learns Polish. Her teenage daughter, a talented gymnast, is attending both Polish classes in person and Ukrainian classes online, while her older son has been volunteering in delivering equipment to the Ukrainian army.  

Andriy, 24, is a doctor by profession, originally from Belarus, having worked as an EMT for an ambulance service for 1.5 years. In March he was forced to flee after refusing to treat Russian soldiers on the frontlines in Ukraine. After forcefully denouncing both the Putin and authoritarian Lukashenko regimes, he was harassed by the authorities and threatened with jail for refusing to support the Russian army. His brother, who also opposed and protested the two regimes, was sentenced to four years of prison. Andriy knew he had to flee immediately. He has obtained refugee status and started learning Polish right away, and has hopes of being able to practice medicine in Poland at some point. 

Alina, 24, is a middle school math teacher and originally from Belarus. After protesting the authoritarian Lukashenko regime and supporting pro-democracy efforts, she was arrested and forced to flee to Ukraine, after her family started being harassed about her whereabouts. Facing persecution, Alina first fled to Ukraine and then, weeks later, had to flee Ukraine for Poland when the bombing started in Kiev. She doesn't speak Polish and has fled persecution and war twice, an unimaginable situation for someone so young. 

Kateryna, 28, is a graphic designer by profession, and also from Belarus. Her story is similar to Alina's in that she was persecuted by the Lukashenko regime, which pursued her for supporting other refugees and political prisoners, and opposing Russian aggression. She also fled to Ukraine, seeking safety, which she soon had to escape again when the bombing started. Upon arriving in Poland and finding shelter, Kateryna immediately started volunteering at the Polish-Ukrainian border to help with the refugee intake and placement process. 

May 2nd update:
Alina, Andriy, and Kateryna took in a rescue dog that was saved in Kharkiv, and named him Hektor. He's terrified of loud sounds and of men, and it will likely take a while before he gets over the trauma he endured, but he's safe and taken care of by his new family.


**Please note that I changed the group's names due to the political persecution that half of them fled from.