Voor Denis, de Oekraïense scholier die een jaar bij ons woonde, zamelen we geld in om hem en zijn familie een kickstart te geven in Toronto. 
Vanwege de levensbedreigende racketaanslagen in Zaporizhzhia liet het Trhetsynska gezin huis en haard achter om hun zoons een nieuwe toekomst te geven in Canada. Met slechts 23 kg aan bagage bouwen ze nu een nieuw bestaan op. Het ontbreekt hen aan nagenoeg al hun spullen. Wij vragen jou om een ruimhartige bijdrage. Groot, klein, alles is welkom. Dank je wel! 
Hieronder lees je hun verhaal. 

Ukrainian boy living in Rotterdam
One month after the Ukrainian war my family has welcomed a 16 year old boy, Denis, into our home in Rotterdam. He has lived with us for 10 months, during that time he went to the nearby international school and worked at an IT company for several months. His mom and younger brother stayed at a refugee shelter in Alphen a/d Rijn. The father remained in Zaporizhzhia.

Staying in Holland or not
As the war progressed, and as it became clear it was not to end soon, the developed a plan to live abroad in a safe and peaceful manner. They seriously considered settling in Holland, but with the high prices and shortage of homes, the Trhetsynska’s would not be able to become home owners, as they are in Zaporizhzhia.
Therefore, they looked at Canada. It’s an English speaking country, and welcoming immigrants. Last November they applied for visa and obtained them.

Surprise on New Years’ Eve
On New Year’s Eve there’s a knock on the door of the shelter home in Alphen aan de Rijn. The father, Dmytro, stands in front of his family. He drove two nights and three days from the east of Ukraine. His wife and two sons are nailed to the ground, and then jumped for joy. They were overwhelmed by surprise and grateful that they were united.

Zaporizhzhia
At the beginning of January, the Trhetsynska family returns to their home town, Zaporizhzhia. It’s a risky journey because of the many road blocks and a complete darkness, when driving at night. Upon arriving home, there is the initial joy of seeing friends and family, but then there’s the confrontation with the poverty on the streets. People struggle to get by, because of the high prices, the cold and lack of electricity. At night, there’s the shelling. The family seeks shelter in the bathroom of their apartment (on the 8th floor), covering their ears against the brutal noise of the bombs which are falling awfully close to their house.

Getting ready for Toronto
On one of those inhumane nights, they decide not wanting to stay any longer. With their savings and with a loan they buy four tickets to Canada. They will travel to Poland and leave for Toronto from Krakow airport.

The Trhetsynska’s have used these last couple of weeks to say goodbye to their parents, other relatives, and friends. They sort out their belongings, decide what to take and what to leave, wrap up their work and lock up their apartment.

Toronto
Crossing the border is going to be one of the big challenges of the journey to Toronto. There are a number of uncertainties, f.i. new rules, or rules nobody knows about.
If the Trhetsynska’s make it to Toronto, they can stay two weeks in a Red Cross shelter, after that, they need to find housing on their own. They have one Ukrainian friend, who has offered a job in construction for Dmytro, but cannot provide them housing.
To help the Trhetsynska’s get started with an apartment and the basics, such as beds, mattresses, a kitchen table, cutlery and so on, we started this fundraising. We kindly ask you for a contribution.

We thank you wholeheartedly, 

Juliette & Matijn Wijn

FAQ

Where is Zaporizhzhia located?
It lies in the Zaporizhska region (Eastern Ukraine), seventy-five percent of it is occupied by Russian soldiers. Currently the Russian army is 32 kilometers away from the city.

Why is Zaporizhzhia a target for the Russians? 
Zaporizhzhia is one of the biggest cities in Ukraine and is the base for Europe's largest nuclear power plant. It provides electricity to Ukraine and several European countries. Its location on the Dnipro River makes it a critical target for Russian forces, who have been controlling the plant since March 2022.

How will the Trhetsynska’s make a living in Toronto?
Dmytro, an engineer by trade, can start working at the construction company of his Ukrainian friend. Denys has found work programming on line for a company in California. 

Why is the father not in the army?
Dmytro has a heart problem and has been declared unfit for the army.

Why are there no pictures of the father?
This is for safety reasons.

Who is who

Ievgeniia Trhetsynska, 43 years old
Ievgeniia graduated went to university and studied at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, and majored in German and English. In Zaporizhzhia she’s self-employed, and teaches these languages to companies.  

Denis Trhetsynska, 17 years old
Denis has been participated in national mathematics competitions, since he was twelve. Around that same age he programed his first website.
While in Holland, he took a programming course at Princeton and started working for Notive (an innovative company for digital solutions) during the summer break. In September he decided not to go back to the international school, but to work fulltime as a front- & back-end developer. At night, he followed online lessons with his teachers in Zaporizhzhia. He will be graduating high school this spring. Denys speaks fluent English. 

Illia Trhetsynska 11 years old
Illia is in elementary school and likes to play basketball with his friends, but when they are not around he plays video games.