Journey UA

My name is Kateryna Romanyak and I have been living in the USA since the beginning of 2023.

The travel permit came to us quite quickly, ASIU found sponsors for me, my mother and my younger sister.

For some time we did not dare to buy tickets to America, we waited until the last minute, we were not sure if these risks were justified... We worried about what would happen to my younger sister's school, what would happen to my university, how we would adapt in a new country. But still they dared. We went to Poland by bus, then by plane to Paris, there a transfer and from there to Minneapolis.

Sofia and Taras met us in Minneapolis, put us in our first house, helped us buy SIM cards, issue a bank card, and fill out all the necessary documents. It is very important that everything is done immediately upon arrival and quite quickly.

At first it was very unusual for us, I don't even know how to explain it... Everything is completely different here (in terms of food, people, mentality, etc.), but over time you adapt. My mother and I sent my younger sister to school, and we went to English courses ourselves. Mom is working now (the organization helped her with that, by the way). And this is actually a very big help, because the work is good + there is some income right away. Being abroad, we actively help the Ukrainian army with applications, support volunteer meetings and help our loved ones in Ukraine.

We are very grateful to American Service in Ukraine 😊

My name is Sofiia and I flew to America on December 23, 2022 with my boyfriend Taras. It was my first flight and I am very grateful to Aswar, who made it very smooth for us.

I started working with ASIU in May 2022 in Lviv. Together with Aswar and Misha, we invited forcibly resettled Ukrainians interested in immigrating to America, gave advice, held free classes in English and prepared the first families for the move. We worked in this mode until November 2022, and after the announcement of the opportunity for Ukrainians to work from the first day after arrival in the US, we decided to expand and cover a larger number of people, because we saw in this an extraordinary perspective not only to support Ukrainian refugees who have nowhere to return, but also to support our country and the army, because working in the USA we have much more material opportunities to support our country by sending money to the army, to our relatives and friends, supporting the economy.

In December 2022, Taras and I came to Wroclaw, where we met with Aswar, and opened a small office together with the extraordinary Polish organization "My z Wami". It was my second trip abroad - I never thought about it before the war.

The decision to move to the USA was due to the opportunity to develop the ASIU project using our knowledge: I am fluent in English, I am a licensed psychologist, so I know exactly how important support is. Taras, in turn, calculates perfectly, coming up with all the nuances of the project down to the details, since he already has experience of life abroad from 0, he knows exactly what is necessary for a successful start.

Together, we advertised the project, consulted everyone interested, wrote informative posts, collected beds for new arrivals in houses in Minneapolis, furnished them with everything necessary, met our first newcomers, went with them to job interviews, helped with the processing of all necessary immigration documents, the purchase of sim cards and so on... After all, we were the first to go through all of this, as soon as we arrived in Minneapolis and, thanks to Aswar, moved into building 1316.

During 2023 we:

1) rented our own apartment and make it our home

2) took my mother, Taras` younger brother and 3 friends to America

3) traveled around 20 states by car, visiting famous places in the USA, including national parks and attractions

4) together with the ASIU team, we raised more than $10,000 in donations for the Ukrainian army, including the purchase of a pick-up truck for my dad's brigade, who is serving at the front

5) supported more than 200 families thanks to the ASIU project

6) built an extraordinary Ukrainian community in Minneapolis, contributing both to the American economy and culture, and to the Ukrainian

We are infinitely grateful to Aswar for the opportunity to live and work in America. We are grateful to every person who spent at least 1 minute of their attention on Ukrainians, who are so in need of support in these difficult times. The ASIU project is not only work for us, it is our lifestyle, our first thoughts in the morning and our last thoughts before going to bed. We sincerely love what we do, and we will always support our people and our country.

Mohamed Rashid and Olena met during their student years in Odesa. Olena graduated as an English interpreter. Mohamed was born in Syria, but he liked Ukraine and met his love there, so he decided to stay and later became a Ukrainian citizen.  

They started a wonderful family with three children: Violetta, Akhmed Rashyd and Yazan. They worked, taught, and brought up children. But after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, their life was turned upside down. Joy was replaced by sadness and grief, not only for this family, but for all of Ukraine. The daily sirens and bombings forced them to leave the country. So for their own safety, they made the decision to move to the United States.

Moving overseas is always a very difficult process, especially with 3 children. We are grateful to ASIA for finding us a sponsor and helping us at all stages. While living in the houses, we built friendly relations with other Ukrainians, our children became friends with the children of other families. We continue to communicate and support each other.

I work at the University of Minnesota, my husband got his SDL and went on his first track. We rent our own house, bought a car, our children go to school - we really appreciate everything we have.