Journey UA

How the life of one of the first participants of the ASIU program, Daria Silka, changed over the course of a year in America. A story that proves that anything is possible

When Daria contacted us, she was only 24 years old. She is from the city of Sumy, which is located near the border with Russia. With the beginning of a full-scale invasion, she had to make a decision to move to another country because it was very dangerous to stay in Ukraine. In addition, there was no work, and her family was in a difficult situation and needed help.

Having dreamed of the USA since childhood, Daria came across our ad by chance and was one of the first people we helped to move. Our executive director, Aswar, found a place for Daria and helped her apply for the program, which provided her with everything she needed for 6 months (Matching Grant).

At the beginning of the journey, Daria had enough money for a one-way ticket, so she almost immediately found a job as a waitress with good pay ($20 per hour). She not only made many new friends in Minneapolis and beyond but also managed to provide financial assistance to her family. She also volunteers in the USA and distributes lunches to the homeless. Dasha shared her story of starting life in America on TikTok, which motivated many people to start their lives from scratch.

After 8 months of living in Minneapolis, she decided to move to New York, as she saw more development opportunities for herself there.

Now, she has 3 jobs — as a barista in a coffee shop, a model for photo shoots, and she is also engaged in photography. Thus, her monthly income ranges from $4,000 to $6,000. She says that she likes the city for its vibe, which is very similar to her beloved Kyiv.

She rents an apartment in Brooklyn, close to Manhattan, with her friend Arthur, who arrived in the USA in September 2023 with Daria's help. In this short span, she became a sponsor for 3 people. She is actively learning English and plans to enroll in a master's degree in America.

Daria and her friend have conducted several insta-tours for Ukrainian girls in the USA, especially in New York and Miami. She is raising funds for thermal imaging cameras for the Armed Forces' reconnaissance and continues to help Ukraine and her relatives in every possible way.

We couldn't believe that organizations like ASIU existed!

The young couple from Kyiv, Nastya and Ali, shared that before meeting us, they had been searching for a sponsor for a month using usual methods, but it did not give any results. Desperate, they were ready to pay for a sponsor and take a risk. However, at the last moment, they came across our Instagram page.

At first, they did not believe that there were such organizations that do everything for free, they were looking for some trick, but then they saw everything with their own eyes.

They have very quickly achieved significant success and progress since their arrival in April 2023. In the first month they earned money and bought their own car. Nastya works as a waitress at the Kramarchuk restaurant. Ali initially worked at a Home Depot warehouse and then on the American Resettlement Team, ASIU. Now, our paths have diverged, as Ali has had to forego any employment to focus on his IT studies. We greatly appreciate the times when Ali lived in our homes and helped other newcomers adapt to a new country, just as we once helped him.

After a couple of months of their stay in America, they became sponsors for Ali’s parents and his younger brother and rented a house together. His brother works as a waiter, dad is a cook, and mom is still looking for a job. They all have average Minnesota salaries ($20 per hour).

The heartbreaking story of our program participants Denys Pavliuk and Viktoriia Hasiuk

Denys and Victoriia are a young couple, when they contacted us they both were 19 years old. Denys had just graduated from university.

Victoriia's father is now taking part in hostilities defending Ukraine, and Denys’s uncle is taking an active role in hostilities near Bakhmut. They realized that they could not support their family and the army financially if they stayed in Ukraine. It was especially difficult to find a job during the war because many businesses closed. They decided to move to the U.S. so they could support Ukraine and their families. With no experience living abroad and little or no work experience, they still managed to get fairly well settled in the United States. With our help, they got a job at the Home Depot store ($19.5 per hour). After 6 months of working there, they gained a lot of experience and are now independently completing an internship at Amazon. They bought a car, which in Ukraine they would have had to save for several years. On their recommendation, 3 more people came to us in Minneapolis. Now they are all planning a move together and looking for suitable housing to rent.

Also in their free time, these guys are always ready to help us paint a house for other new arrivals or travel all over America to bring water to those in need in Mississippi.