One year ago, Ukrainians woke up to the sounds of bombs falling on the capital city of Kyiv as Russia launched a full-scale invasion on its neighbour. Since then, Morden's Yevgeniya Tatarenko, who is a member of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, has not stopped raising money and supplies to send aid home to her country, where her mother still lives.
She looked back on the year that unfolded since then.
“Now, we say it's 365 days of resilience, of bravery. This year was the game-changing year in the lives of all Ukrainians, not just in Ukraine, but all over the world, and for me, as well as for my family, and for my friends, seeing so much sadness and grief, and losing friends and relatives. It's been really hard.”
She hasn't stopped her efforts to support her home country and is proud of the resilience of her people.
Her direct efforts, along with her many supporters, and team around the world, have raised over $70, 000, enabling her to send over 35 suitcases, in addition to countless bags sent with travelers back into, or near the region, sending locally made medical bags and supplies including firefighter gear, and enough bulletproof vests and helmets for over 30 defenders. After a while, she lost count of everything sent overseas due the intensity of the project, and the speed at which the work was completed.
“We learned how to be strong. We learned how to find an opportunity to smile, no matter what. We found the opportunity to work harder. We were thinking, we worked super hard before that, but then we discovered we can do more, and now we need to work hard for our country, as well. Those are the huge life-changing things I see, not just for me, but for a lot of people. And I'm so proud of all Ukrainians around the world and in Ukraine.”
Tatarenko remarked, looking back, it’s like looking at pictures you couldn’t even imagine, and realizing they actually happened, and then living through those sad pictures, noting it's very hard, and is still hard. She said the strength of Ukrainians is unimaginable, and they have stayed strong for so long to fight for freedom.
A year later, Tatarenko wishes she could say things are getting better, even though people in Ukraine have adapted to the dangers around them, trying to carry on life, and rebuilding, amidst the destruction around them. Her friends fighting in Ukraine, report things are not getting better.
“It's not better. My mom, she is in Zaporizhzhia, and it's not getting better. Now, they don't have electricity for a lot of hours each day. So now, Ukrainians have learned how to be productive and how to work, how to teach, how to learn, how to achieve, how to put together some of the projects, even without electricity.”
She added, people are becoming braver, but they still know where to hide. They have learned how to live close to normal, even though bombs are still falling around them. Many are working from home. While some areas of the country are safer than others, many cities and town have been damaged, destroyed or occupied.
As millions of Ukrainians fled the war-torn country to other parts of the world, she noted over 5,000 Ukrainians have come to Manitoba in the last year, with 70 families coming to Morden, bringing 90-100 children.
She oversaw the Ukraine to Morden Committee that welcomed and supported these families as they settled in the growing community. She said those who have come to Morden want to be normal members of the community, wanting to help, to volunteer, to get jobs and to give back to the community, which, she exclaimed is truly amazing.
“I see how people want to support each other, and all of our volunteers were helping them to come to Morden to find their accommodation, transportation, and help with groceries and so on. Other businesses were helping. It’s really amazing to see what we, as the community, can do for people during those months of struggle.”
Tatarenko said the strain of families separated by war is taking its toll, as children and mothers are living without their husbands and fathers. She added, the mental health of these families is wearing thin, and the hardest part is not knowing when it will end.
A Candlelight Vigil will be held in Morden at the Civic Centre on Friday, February 24th from 6-6:45 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring Ukrainian Flags, candles and/or flashlights.
