From War to Dreams…

A story about Nina Fedorchenko (written by Oksana Pryyma)

Zaporizhzhia is a Ukrainian city with an industrial heart and kind, strong people. It is from there that our Nina came along with her beloved daughter, Kirochka, fondly known as Kira. Today, it seems like some kind of foggy past to which there is no way back, but the heart still longs for her beloved native places.

Nina and Kira

Nina worked full-time for a logistics company but also in a part-time role as a permanent makeup artist. She liked to bring beauty to the world and make women happy. She even planned to move to the Czech Republic, where great opportunities could be found for growth in her favourite occupation. In early 2022, she was looking for an apartment, exploring schools, and preparing residency documents in Prague so that she could later bring her daughter and mother there.

On February 24th at 5 am, the young woman was awakened by a phone call; her mother reported in an anxious voice about an attack on our country! Nina could not believe it, but everything was confirmed by the news on TV and messages on social networks. Fear and horror for her relatives seized and squeezed her heart. The decision was made instantly, without a second of hesitation - bus, train, border. It was no longer possible to return home directly, so the family agreed to meet at the train station. Nina's mother and Kira, having collected the necessary things, quickly left their house and went to meet Nina with one thought: to hug and run as far away from the war as possible.

There was chaos at the train station - thousands of people, panic, cries of lost children. A terrible vision, as if scenes from a movie about the Second World War, flashed before their eyes. Having pushed their way into one of the full carriages with difficulty, they found seats for their forced journey. People with pets, children, and the elderly sat, lay on shelves, on suitcases, in the aisles - the smell of anxiety, fear and uncertainty hung in the air, promising nothing good. The train, clattering its wheels, headed for the city of Lviv.

Driving through a deserted area at night, the train suddenly stopped, and the order was given to turn off all light sources - it was an attack! Everyone immediately hid, and only the whispers of frightened children and stifled sobs came from the darkness. Flashes began to flicker outside the windows, and a terrible roar from explosions rushed right overhead. Nina, covering Kira with her body and hugging her mother, prayed for salvation. No one knew what would happen next: it was like a nightmare that suddenly became reality, and no one was ready for this. People in fear and confusion dreamed that it would end, and after a while, everything calmed down, and the train continued to Lviv.

Upon arrival, by different transport and routes, everyone rushed to the Polish border. Crossing the border was very difficult due to the number of refugees. But the Polish people treated the Ukrainians with deep understanding and sympathy - they fed, watered and gave shelter to all those in need. After a short rest, Nina, Kira and her grandmother continued their journey to the Czech Republic. There, having calmed down and recovered from what they had experienced, they began to think about how to live on and what to do.

Nina's mother went to Lithuania to be with her father - he worked as a truck driver and was already abroad at the start of the war; they still live there today. For some reason, Nina's heart felt that the Czech Republic was not the end of their journey. Soon, they learned about a program for Ukrainians that could help them move to Canada with a work permit. Since Kira had been learning English since age 4, moving to an English-speaking country was appealing to them. Without hesitation, Nina filled out an application for a visa, and a couple of weeks later, she and her daughter were sitting on a plane heading to far-off Canada, where everything new and unknown awaited them.

In the huge city of Toronto, the girls met wonderful people: Mary, Clinton and a grandfather from Kingston. They didn't just take them in - they became a support and a pillar of strength for our heroines, who were tired and confused by the recent events. Daily trips to government agencies to fill out the necessary documents, food, clothing - Nina will never forget all the help she received in the first difficult days. Having lived like this for a month, Nina regained her spirit and began to look for opportunities to earn a living in order to be independent and raise her daughter. She thanked the volunteers who had already become family and continued to another city, Kitchener, where she was offered a job in a salon doing permanent makeup and tattoos. They rented an apartment, enrolled Kira in school, and bought a dog so that their daughter would have more fun and adapt more easily to the new place.

Nina had to work three jobs to pay for housing, the family's needs, and save up for a car because it was extremely difficult to keep up with everything and take her young daughter to school on public transportation. But nothing could stop our strong and purposeful girl! Two years later, Nina finally bought that car, which significantly improved her situation. It became easier every day - anxiety for her country and people did not go away, but faith in tomorrow emerged.

Today, she has a favourite job, her daughter is playing volleyball and achieving success in sports and studies. Kira's interest in technology and airplanes awakened a new dream in her - to become an aviation engineer. Even though she is now only 12 years old, she studies hard and is preparing to enter the university. Nina looks at her young but quickly matured daughter who survived fears, horrors and flight - she is glad that now she is safe, laughs again, makes plans and dreams. This is the greatest reward for a mother: to see a happy, healthy child.

And Nina herself finally allowed herself to dream and make her dreams come true - she is a wonderful master of her craft. Permanent makeup and tattoos are her art, this is her self-expression, this is what she loves and knows how to do with her soul. And if you do something with your soul, then you can definitely achieve great success. Soon we will see NINA FEDORCHENKO's beauty salon and other girls from Ukraine - strong, talented and bright. They will put into their work not only their skill, but also the warmth of their hearts; those who have experienced terror and loss, but have not lost their love for people and life. And we will be glad to be their clients, because every meeting with them is not just self-care; it is a piece of home with the kindness and support that they carry with them. Let this spot become a place of beauty, strength and new hopes.

About a year and a half ago, Nina realized she wanted to give back the support she had once received. That’s when she became a volunteer with Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis. Whether it’s helping Ukrainians find clothing, writing resumes, providing translation, or managing projects, Nina is always ready to step in, no matter how busy her schedule is.

"Yes, I work hard and barely have free time, but I feel a deep need to do something good for others—it gives my life greater meaning," she shares.

Every day is a step, small, but confident in a new life, in a new country with new opportunities that were given to us by people living here with kind hearts. These volunteers gave us warmth, care and support. Volunteering in Canada is not a gesture of generosity and mercy; it is a style and way of life. It is the language of kindness that does not require translation. Nina and Kirochka, and all of us are grateful for the peace and security of new life here.

Today, looking back, Nina understands: there is no road to her hometown of Zaporizhzhia. They lost everything, but they also found everything anew because they were not alone. Thank you!