Fleeing the War in Ukraine was the greatest challenge I have ever faced. I fled with my 3 children, and we didn’t know then if we would ever be able to go back to our country, and there was so much confusion and uncertainty about our future. The strangest thing was packing up my suitcase on the day we left. My whole life and who I was - all of my achievements and possessions - packed up into a single bag.
Since moving to the UK, my children and I have been so lucky to live with our sponsors; they have been so kind and have become like family to us. Now that things have settled a bit in our lives, I’m desperate to get back into work. I was a permanent makeup artist in Ukraine, and I loved my job. I loved it so much that, even though I could only bring one suitcase to the UK, I brought all of my makeup tools with me.
Permanent makeup requires you to be very skilled with your hands and have a lot of dexterity - so, since the day I arrived in the UK, I’ve been doodling and making markings every moment I can to ensure that my hands remain capable of doing this work.
I’m so excited to do my permanent makeup course and get qualified in the UK so that I can begin working again. Long term, I want to go to University to study English so that I can set up my own school to help other Ukrainian women qualify in permanent makeup, and give them the opportunity to succeed in what they love.