Since the Russian invasion in Ukraine, my life has been turned upside down. I have had to leave my family, my husband, my country and my city and come to the UK with my 3 year old daughter and 8 year old son. I lived in the Eastern part of Ukraine and my city is almost fully destroyed now. The biggest challenge of all has been the fear of death, the complete confusion of how and where to live, and more than anything else, keeping my children safe.
Before the war, I had a normal life and work. I have two higher education qualifications (foreign languages interpreter/teacher and accounting) and have been working as Accountant for an international company for the last 11 years.
Sometimes, I find it difficult to look towards the future because of everything that’s happened in my life over the past year. But if I had one goal in mind it would be to be stable so that I am able to re-build mine and my children's lives. I want to start work as soon as possible as this will allow me to build my resume in the UK, and then in the future I would like to return to doing accounting roles.
I am very grateful for Beam and their strong support. Receiving this made me feel that I am not alone and this makes me feel stronger. Now, I can share my story and help many others understand the real situation in Ukraine. I can find somewhere to live safely with my children before returning to work again and build a life here in the UK.