My friend Victoria Kolesnik, 29, lived in Kyiv, where she had an idyllic life, with her husband Konstantin and their beautiful four-year-old son Kirill. They had good jobs, recently moved into a new apartment, and she was taking parental leave to raise their son.
Heartbreakingly, this beautiful life full of hope was shattered on February 24, 2021, when at 5 AM, Russian missiles started falling on Kyiv out of the sky while most people were still asleep. Trying to escape, Victoria and her husband moved from town to town with nothing but bare necessities, staying with relatives and friends, but the war kept coming after them.
Finally, after multiple moves across Ukraine and Poland, they found safety in the United States.
It's been almost a month since she heard the news that the US will accept a hundred thousand refugees and came to Philly, but no support program has been implemented yet since. We've also been searching through local non-profits and didn't find any actual help.
Victoria's husband, Konstantin, couldn't come with them because of the mobilization laws and lack of travel permission and he lost his job as an advocate in Ukraine because of war and can't support his family as usual.
Victoria and Kirill temporarily stay in Philadelphia with a senior couple, their parents' friends.
I met her on Facebook when she was looking for a donation of spring clothing she didn't pack in the suitcase, because she hoped war will be over soon.
Since that time we've been in touch, meeting them a few times in real life, helping to navigate their lives in the USA without fluent English skills, no family or relatives, and no government support at all.
Victoria is a very sweet, strong, and brave young woman, but right now she really needs help.
With this fundraiser, we are trying to raise funds for Victoria and her son, to be able to start a new life in the US, at least until this war is over.
Money is needed for housing, clothing, food, daycare, job search, and necessary immigration procedures. While Victoria's status is unclear and she doesn't have a bank account in the US, the money will be transferred to her in cash, personally by me. All the money will go directly to Victoria. If you can help in any other way or have questions, please reach out to Tatiana at tanyasabanina@gmail.com or call +1-267-496-2543 and ask for Dmitry. 
