Finding their way in a new home

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/04/2024 (795 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canada has a reputation for taking people in, and Dakota House recently hired five young women from Ukraine to work here.

Jeff Hamm, our manager, found them by networking with and through others. He also knew someone from Ukraine with a university degree who’d had to flee. He said he could relate to these situations.

All five new employees have a positive work ethic, Jeff said, to which we residents can attest. They want to work, and they’re learning to speak English by taking courses or learning on the job — our residents love to help. Some came with some knowledge of English, and they’re all university-educated professionals.

Four of the people in the accompanying picture arrived in Canada in October 2022, and one in March, but they did not meet each other until they came to Dakota House. I catch my breath when I think what a heavenly gift that must have felt like —meeting someone from home.

So, let’s meet the people in the picture, beginning on the far left.

Yulia Radchenko is a pharmacist who came from Luhansk with her husband and small dog, but could not get a job, so she went to school to learn English. “Thank you, Jeff, for giving me a job in the laundry room,” she said. “ Canada is very beautiful and caring, giving us the opportunity to realize ourselves and feel protected.”

Veronica Oliinyk: “I came with my son from the beautiful city of Brovary, Kiev region, where I loved my work as a teacher, a rehabilitative specialist with children with disabilities (including autistic). Now I work as a housekeeper in Dakota House. Thank you to management of this company and residents for supporting Ukrainians and accepting us into your friendly team. We are learning English, with everyone helping us.”

Jeff Hamm is the congenial manager of Dakota House.

Natalia Skibina: “I came to Canada with my son from the city of Kharkiv. With a population of 1.5 million, it is located 30 kilometres from the border with Russia. Because of war it is dangerous to live there. We decided to build a new life in Canada.” Natalia is an accountant with a degree in finance but wants experience in Canada’s cooking habits. She helps to prepare our varied and delicious meals in our kitchen.

Kateryna Vladymyrova (second from right): “I am 28 years old and originally from Kherson. By training I am a social worker. The first thing I noticed when I came to Winnipeg was the very friendly people. Last February when I started working here, some very good people helped and supported me. My goal is to bring my family here, find a safe house, and live a new life.” Because of Kateryna’s knowledge of English, she was put in direct touch with us residents as a server in our dining area.

Lesia Verony: Jeff very astutely assigned her as my housekeeper, and we’ve been enjoying our relationship ever since. I’m a first-generation Polish/Ukrainian Canadian. Her vocabulary sounds foreign to me, and she tells me I sound more like her grandmother (Baba). Of course! My parents brought the language over in the early 1900s, which is when her Baba picked hers up. Living languages do change, so her iPhone and my two English-Ukrainian dictionaries help.

Teaching Lesia English enunciation is a lot of fun. She once called out “kees kees” as I was leaving for exercises. I interpreted that as “kiss kiss” and wondered what she was trying to say — then I spied my keys dangling from her hand! “Keys is pronounced ‘keez’ with a Z,” I explained. “Unlike one-sound Cyrillics, English letters can sound several ways.”

Lesia graduated from university as an accountant and now proudly and happily does housekeeping here. Her husband and brother are serving in Ukraine’s army. She came to Canada with two children. They love living by a river where they have seen deer roaming and Canada geese in flight — an overwhelming sight.

To summarize: All these women have university and professional credits. They were allowed to choose any province and chose Manitoba for its friendliness and large Ukrainian diaspora. They are all seriously studying English and they appreciate the courteous treatment from everyone they meet. No-one plans to go back to their beloved homeland, and they all want to become Canadians.

The word ‘home’ kept coming up in our interviews, and it was no doubt heartwarming — and heartbreaking — to see the sign above our fireplace as they first entered Dakota House.

Jeff thinks these women’s hardships and challenges can only make them stronger. To them a Ukrainian toast — Daj Bozhe Zdorowlia! (God give you good health!)