Olha Maksymiak: my journey from Ukraine

On the 23^{rd of} February, I, with my 7-year-old son, had a very social, active life. I managed many activities and projects for children and women. On that day, we hosted some classes and, in the evening, gathered together, mothers and children, having a great time with much laughter and fun. We of course talked about the political situation, but nobody believed war could be a real possibility.

Only a few hours separated us from Russia’s brutal attack on my country. It was 7am on the 24^{th of} February when we arose to a call from my ex-husband that the war had started. After a few minutes of talking, I, with my son, heard loud bomb explosions. We lived about one kilometre from the military airport. During the first few hours, Russia bombed nearly all military airports in Ukraine.

My son was crying and he was trembling with fear. I didn’t understand what I must do. In our home we had no basement to make a shelter in. I had no plans of what to do. Nobody was ready. Nobody expected this. My son’s dad picked us up and helped us evacuate to my mother’s home. It was nearly 30 kilometres from my native city. In the village, all the residents were panicking, with a rush to withdraw money, buy food and medicine from the pharmacy.

In the following days, I read news and contacted friends. We worked hard to support each other. On the 25^th of February, I began to realise that I had to start thinking about leaving the country. My son was experiencing great fear and was frightened to be alone, for even short periods. On this day, at the border of Poland, many thousands of Ukrainians were fleeing the country. There were crazy queues at the customs posts. I decided I had to move.

I contacted an ex-colleague in Poland and asked her to help me find temporary accommodation in Warsaw, where there is a British visa centre. In this moment we decided to move to my sister’s home, who lives in Glasgow. We had no idea whether we could get a visa or not. There had been no decisions made by the UK government and no easy way was available.

My new temporary life in Poland was constantly spent on the telephone coordinating aid and supporting friends. My role was coordinating people in different countries and organising logistics.

We would be in Poland for a whole month. During this time, I tried to apply for a regular visa, but my sister called the home office and she was advised to tell me to wait a few days as a statement from the UK government would come soon. We applied for a visa the first day the humanitarian visa programme began. We had to undergo biometric testing in Warsaw.

On the 22^nd of March we flew to Liverpool airport. I found myself alone with my son in a foreign country and my sister was running late. Involuntary tears ran down my face. My sister arrived and we made the four-hour car journey to what would become my new home. For the first few weeks, we lived in cramped conditions with my sister. After that, my sister’s landlord, a Pole who supports Ukraine, offered me a tenancy, knowing I was a single mum who could only pay with benefits. Then began a new adventure of trying to furnish a flat and make it into a home. Help came from many different sources. From my sister, charity foundations, the landlords and neighbours and also I received a grant as award for my active position in protecting women’s rights in Ukraine.

Then began the process of becoming registered with job centre, doctors and council. My first appointment at the job centre took over three hours, as I was the first Ukrainian refugee they had to deal with and nobody was sure what to do.

While I was in Poland, I tried to find details of the diaspora here. I wrote to the head of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, Glasgow branch. I met the team of AUGB in George Square where all the time they organised meetings to raise awareness of the war in Ukraine.

From this period, I am a volunteer with this Glasgow branch and my duties include social media and helping to organise events. After a couple of months, I started two other voluntary posts. One with Positive Action in Housing and the other with the Scottish Refugee Council.

With the Scottish Refugee Council, I was part of the welcome team at Glasgow Airport. I was the friendly face welcoming new arrivals from Ukraine and helping them access services.

I contacted The Bridges Programmes and I shared my CV and experience. I shared I wanted to continue to work in political, social, governmental and communication fields, but now in Great Britain. The Bridges Programmes recommended I should apply to become a volunteer with Positive Action in Housing. Here I was introduced to Marina who encouraged me to apply for a part-time role on the staff at Positive Action in Housing. I was very happy to be offered the job.

I arrived in the UK with a basic level of English, but obviously not what I needed to hold similar profession positions as I had held in Ukraine. So I began studying with a Ukrainian English tutor in London online. I also applied for ESOL courses and passed the test and received a place at Glasgow City College.

So now I have a part-time job, a voluntary job and I am a part-time student. My own experiences have really helped me understand the real needs of the Ukrainian refugee. We are of course very thankful to the British people, government and all who aid Ukrainians in the country. That said, there are a lot of problems here for the Ukrainian community.

The single largest group are those who arrived on the Scottish super sponsorship visa. On a single ship in Glasgow there are over a thousand people from that scheme. In the Holiday Inn there are three hundred and fifty Ukrainians also from that scheme.

There are also many who entered Scotland on the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Both these groups have a number-one need for longer-term, safe accommodation. According to Stats from Opora, 40 percent of Ukrainians who live with hosts are in risk of being homeless after the six months with their hosts has come to an end. Only 14 percent have the opportunity to remain for a further period. This research was carried out with 3,000 people.

The same situation repeats itself with Ukrainian refugees who arrived under the family scheme. In most cases, the relatives have no accommodation to provide long term options.

The private sector is very difficult for Ukrainian refugees to access, so it’s not a suitable option. Landlords are risk averse and are not keen on housing benefit particularly without housing history and references in the UK. The best option would be a government programme aimed at private landlords, because social housing is full and the rebuild rate is so slow. Another possibility might be an incentive scheme for hosts where after six months, the Ukrainian guests enter into a commercial arrangement.

The majority of the refugees are single mothers with children. They can not easily enter the job market due to childcare issues.

Another major problem for the Ukrainians is language. There are a limited number of classes available. There are no English classes aimed solely at children and no extra hours available in school. Again, this needs government intervention. No language skills means no access to the job market.

The Ukrainian refugees are having difficulty accessing healthcare for themselves and their children and this is causing great distress.

Many refugees are in need of counselling with mental and emotional support. A project needs to be established to address these needs.

These problems need targeted solutions, which must involve the Ukrainian community, to fully understand and address the issues.

Although there are many problems and challenges, we are extremely grateful for all the support we have received in Britain. It is very important as it’s the lives of our children and the future of Ukrainians as a nation.

About the writer: Olha was a major leader and visionary in the women’s movement in Ukraine. She was the Volyn regional leader of the national feminist organisation ‘For the Future’. Now based in the UK, Olha works with Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain Glasgow branch and other organisations aiding Ukrainians displaced by the war to settle in the UK. Her passionate is to see equality for women in the every sphere of life and she has been involved in influencing legislation to achieve these goals.

You can contact Olha for interviews and work, via her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/maksochka

Olha’s branch of The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain is seeking urgent donations for medical and food aid. If you can donate anything at all, you can contribute here:
Bank: Barclays
Name: ASSOCIATION OF UKRAINIANS IN GREAT BRITAIN GLASGOW BRANCH
Sort code: 20-29-24
Account: 13117952