The mother and her two school-aged children left the war zone in eastern Ukraine shortly after the bombing began and arrived in Canada on June 1. did. Permanently involve the father, but life is unpredictable
Olha Borshchevska and her two children are in Canada 1 I stayed for less than a month, but felt like I was at home at a picnic in New Westminster on Saturday. Recent arrivals from Ukraine.
She and her son Oleksii (10 years old) and daughter Yana (7 years old) were near the bomb after leaving Bucha in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border. I moved to Canada on June 1st. Missiles and troops invading Ukraine on February 24.
Men between the ages of 18 and 65 had to leave their economist's husband behind because they needed to stay in case they needed to fight the war, but now it's five months. Eyes, she is relieved to be far from the war zone, even temporarily.
"It's very unpredictable right now," she said in Ukrainian through her friend Anton Bobanov. "It's hard to know if they can stay, and I hope my husband can come."
The family wants to move to Canada forever She said it was a prewar dream.
She wants to learn English, so she will eventually get a job in the field of sales analytics. Meanwhile, she wants to work as a seamstress because sewing is her hobby. ..
The picnic was hosted by Help UsHelp Ukraine, a clearing house for about 300 of the 2,000 people who arrived in Lower Mainland from Ukraine in the last four months, said organizer Iryna Dzobko. ..
This is also a year-end concert of a Ukrainian class for children on Saturday morning at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in New Westminster, where 60 students, primarily under the age of 10, sing and recite poetry. Did.
Dzobko expects the school to grow to 150 students next year, thanks to her recent immigrants, and they are looking for a larger facility to accommodate them. She said she was.
"We have no room for all children," she said.
Help Us Help Ukraine helps arrivals find jobs, enroll in English lessons, settle in schools, collate with donated goods, and first and foremost find a place to live. increase.
"Vancouver is not a comfortable place to live," said immigrant Dzobko six years ago.
Borshchevska and her children are fortunate to be able to live in a woman's home in New Westminster during the summer visiting another part of Canada. They want to stay in Metro Vancouver, but they are ready to move wherever their homes and jobs are.
"But we don't know what we can expect from our lives right now," Borshchevska said through her interpreter.
As of March 17, Canada has announced that it can apply for a special free visa that allows Ukrainians to live in Canada for up to three years. They can work and study, and children can enter school immediately.
Since then, more than 300,000 Ukrainians have arrived.
An estimated 8 million Ukrainians have fled their country, which had a prewar population of about 41 million.
slazaruk@postmedia.com
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