“It is very confusing to think about everything that is happening in Ukraine.”
A family of refugees from Ukraine arrived safely in Prince George, greeted by a crowd of supporters waving Ukrainian flags and holding welcome banners.
After a stay in Calgary, Olena Kramarenko landed at YXS on Tuesday with her six-year-old daughter, one-year-old son and mother Lilia Khuzenko.
The Ukrainian family waited in Poland until they could travel to Canada.
A moment after the arrival and greeting of the crowd, Olena, with the help of Father Andriy Chornenki of St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, said she was pleased to be in Canada and impressed by the warm welcome from her family.
“It is very confusing to think about everything that is happening in Ukraine and to be here,” Olena said, adding that she was trying to focus on the future for her children, not on what was happening in Ukraine.
“You have to think about going back and being ready to go back and focus on that, not the negative events.
Olena, a lawyer in Ukraine, said she was still unsure what she would do with Prince George, but was grateful that there was a safe place at the moment.
“I am a lawyer in Ukraine and I did not plan this,” Olena said. “I do not know how long the war in Ukraine will last. I just want a safe place for my children, but if it takes a long time, I will go to study here and start my life again. ”
Father Andriy Chornenky added that his wife was also a lawyer in Ukraine and noted that “it is not easy because the law is different, so you have to start from scratch”.
Olena said she was happy to be in a safe place and hoped it would be a good start for her children, but it was also a difficult situation for her because her husband was still in Ukraine.
The family will be staying with host Michel Gode, who is a member of Prince George for Ukraine.
“Right now, I have the privilege of having free space and I have time to help, and that’s the least I can do,” Gode said.
“In the past, I hosted evacuees from forest fires and helped at the College of New Caledonia when there were evacuees, so by nature it was something I could do. “I am very excited to have been in touch for so long and we will finally meet today, so it is quite exciting,” she added.
“We have started bringing families to Prince George,” said Eva Gillis, chairwoman of the Refugee Hope Refugee Sponsorship Committee, which is currently focusing its efforts on helping people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
“We want everyone in Prince George to know that it’s been a while and it’s been a while, but it’s really coming and to be ready, to open their doors and open their wallets and help these people.
Share Hope is working with the Prince George Group for Ukraine, which works with different levels of government and volunteers to coordinate efforts and bring families fleeing the war to Prince George.
“Prince George’s people are warm and generous, and we’ve seen that year after year,” Gillis said. “I can’t believe how many people called and wanted to open their homes […] and to give place to people who run and run. ”
The family’s trip was also supported by David Stansbury, a Calgary-based Air Canada employee who flew with the family to Prince George.
“There is a group of people from Calgary who work for Air Canada and help,” Stansbury said, adding that with the support of a church in Ukraine, they were providing additional support to help transport refugees to Canada.
“Other members went to Europe to pick them up and bring them here while Olena and her family came alone, but they stayed with us for a few days and now we are opening up to see how we can help while they can. settle down. “
Those interested in supporting Ukrainian refugees in Prince George can contact Share Hope (PG.ShareHope@gmail.com) or find more information on the Prince George website for Ukraine.
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