At the age of 10, Kateryna was orphaned and started coming here during the summers in a foster care programme. After studying pedagogy in Chernihiv, two hours north of Kyiv, she came here to do a Master's Degree and then started degree program to study to become a teacher.
Until last week his life was normal: classes, gym, hobbies such as photography, and talking to his family and friends in Ukraine. Then came February 24. That day she woke up for class at 8 o'clock and when she turned on her phone she was inundated with messages and photos telling her that the war had started and that Russia had invaded Ukraine, she remembers: "At first I found it hard to believe whether the invasion was real or not and I went to class very scared". Since then her life has changed drastically, she only wants to hear from her relatives and looks forward to the end of the conflict.
Kateryna has family and friends on both sides of the Belarusian border. Her home village, Butivka, was among the first to be shelled and overrun by Russian troops, who are now there. He has been unable to contact his relatives in Butivka for four days, as they have no electricity, water, etc.
Until last week Kateryna did not consider herself particularly patriotic, but now she feels more Ukrainian than ever, proud of her country and homesick for the little things, like barbecues with her friends, going mushroom picking in the forest... the simple things that the war has taken away from her. The last time she was in Ukraine was at Christmas and "thank goodness", she says, between being relieved to have been able to go and worried because she doesn't know when she will be able to return.
Right now Kateryna is helping with shipments to Ukraine, preparing financial aid humanitarian and also with the necessary documentation for when refugees may arrive. Her main concern is for the children and to imagine what they will be going through, both leaving Ukraine and staying in a country that is a battlefield and was their peaceful home. Until last week.