Ukrainian family shares their journey to America during the war
- Charity Fitch
- Aug 21, 2023
- 6 min read
The Hubenia family never wanted to leave their home in Ukraine. But when their five children were not getting the consistent education they needed, when electricity became unreliable in their small home, and when Pavlo lost his job because of the circumstances of the war and could no longer provide for his wife, Inna, and their family, the Hubenias knew it was time to go somewhere safer.
Through a program called Uniting for Ukraine, which allows Ukrainian citizens to come to the United States with the help of a financial sponsor in the states, the Hubenias moved to Ellis County in November 2022 with the help of their sponsor, Bruce Zimmerman, pastor of Waxahachie Bible Church, and his wife, Sheila, and other members of the community.
The Sun recently interviewed the Hubenia family about their journey to America and their experiences in Ukraine. The interview was done with the help of a translator.
About 600 kilometers (roughly 370 miles) from the Poland/Ukraine border, the Hubenia family lived in the district town, Horodyshche, located in the central region, Cherkasy, of Ukraine.
When the war started, it brought many “turbulences” in their life, Pavlo said.
“(There were) all these air raids – flying over objects, missiles,” he said.
To help them know when their region was under an air raid, they used an air raid siren app, which tracks missiles, learns where they could land and alerts residents with a siren noise. Most schools required students to have the app with the notifications on.
“During the night, if (it’s on) like lots of kids in the house and everybody’s (notifications are on), it’s impossible to sleep,” Inna said.
The Hubenias have family who live in the capital, Kyiv, who travel to work through the subway system. If they’re traveling on the subway when the area comes under an air raid, they are kept in the subway to help protect them. Inna said they could spend four to six hours stuck in the subway, so those traveling to the city learned to carry food, blankets and “everything they may need” during those hours of an air raid.
“Even now, when we’re here (in America), when an aircraft goes over us, we still feel like it’s not very good (a bad sign),” Inna said.
Because of COVID-19, the children’s education had already been interrupted, but the war in Ukraine prolonged that interruption. Because of air raids, in-person classes were inconsistent.
Inna said for almost three years in a row, her children did not get “proper education.”
“The kids (would) go to school one week, (and) another (week they wouldn’t) go,” she said. “Each time an air raid sounds, children are required to go to the (basement) at school, also interrupting (their) education. Sometimes teachers would call and (tell us) to pick up the kids.”
While they tried to switch to an online program for school, they did not have reliable electricity or internet for it to work, and they had no laptop or tablet, so the children had to use cellphones.
Their oldest daughter told them, “I want to go to school.”
“We’re glad we’re (now) in a safe space, and our kids are safe and involved in school,” Inna said.
Before the war, the Hubenias were renting a small home and had hoped to purchase a bigger home, one that would better fit their family of seven, with money they had saved.
“The war started, and (it) destroyed all (those) plans,” Inna said.
As a father of five children, Pavlo was not required to fight and worked for a construction company in Ukraine that built bridges and roads and tried to “restore what was damaged,” he said.
After losing his job due to circumstances with the war, Pavlo and Inna started looking for sponsorships in America. Pavlo said he considered crossing the Poland border for temporary work, but then they found sponsors in the Zimmermans, and preparations began to move to America.
They gathered all their important documents and passports. Not knowing when they would be leaving and wanting to be prepared, Pavlo filled their single car with gas for their journey to the Poland border and planned to buy food the following day. The next day, all fuel stations were down in Cherkasy, and there was no way to get gas, he said. Both Pavlo and Inna, believers in the Christian faith, expressed how they felt God was taking care of them in this moment.
But they did not have a chance to purchase food before beginning their drive and recalled the kids saying they were hungry.
As they approached the capital, Kyiv, they were able to purchase hotdogs and feed the family, another “blessing from the Lord,” Pavlo and Inna said.
The Hubenias traveled through many of the major cities where active fighting took place.
“By traveling this route, we saw all this destruction,” Pavlo said. “We saw it with our (own) eyes. Everything was destroyed, burned out, black … it was a scary picture. (It gave us) a very strong feeling because it’s (different) when we saw it on the news, but to drive and see it yourself … .”
After crossing the border, they flew from the Warsaw Chopin Airport in Poland to Helsinki, Finland, where they had a short and stressful layover, then flew to Dallas, Texas.
“We wondered what we (would) meet here,” Pavlo said. “(We had) no expectation, but so much work was done and attention (was given). Everything was prepared for us. When we entered (our new house), there was our flag. It meant a lot.”
The Hubenias’ new home in Ellis County was fully furnished by members of Waxahachie Bible Church and the community and ready for their arrival. As one enters the home, the Ukrainian flag can be seen hanging on the wall.
“We’re very grateful to local Americans who did this for our family,” Inna said. “We did not expect this help (and could not have) even dreamed of this help. When we get this support and we go to church, we have the feeling like we get back to our family, like everybody (is) friendly and helpful.”
Pavlo and Inna both expressed how they felt their sponsorship was unique. Going through such “a huge change” in their life and to be supported by members of the church was a blessing, they said.
After arriving in America, they went through the process to get all the necessary government documents to live there. It was difficult at most government facilities because they did not have access to a Ukrainian translator, they said.
They enrolled their children at Red Oak ISD, and Pavlo got a job overseeing and taking care of the heavy equipment at a shop.
“The kids are very glad (they’re) back to school, continuing their education,” Inna said. “(The) teachers take good care of our kids, and they’re very gentle and very kind.”
“There was a language barrier for (our) kids, but (the) school provides their laptops with translator, and it was very helpful for them,” Pavlo said.
They are now adjusting to life in America, working to learn English and thankful for their family to be safe.
“A lot of things are unusual still for us (in America),” Pavlo said.
“But thanks to the Lord, we are very satisfied that we moved and live here,” Inna added.
Uniting for Ukraine
Uniting for Ukraine was announced April 21, 2022, as a program to help “fulfill President Biden’s commitment to welcome Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
It allows Ukrainian citizens to stay temporarily in the United States for a two-year period with the help of a U.S. citizen supporter, who provides them with financial support “for the duration of the stay in the United States.”
The supporter must file Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, with USCIS. After being vetted by the U.S. government that they have the means to financially support the individuals and will not exploit or abuse them, the Ukrainian beneficiary must confirm they complete all eligibility requirements.
Eligibility requirements, according to the Department of Homeland Security, for Ukrainians include:
Resided in Ukraine immediately prior to the Russian invasion (until Feb. 11, 2022) and were displaced as a result of the invasion
Are a Ukrainian citizen and possess a valid Ukrainian passport (or are a child included on a parent’s passport), or are a non-Ukrainian immediate family member of a Ukrainian citizen who is applying through Uniting for Ukraine
Have a supporter who filed a Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, on their behalf that has been confirmed as sufficient by USCIS
Complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, and
Clear biometric and biographic screening and vetting security checks
Once they’ve been approved, Ukrainians have 90 days to travel to a United States port of entry. The program allows them temporary stay in the United States for up to two years and makes them eligible to apply for employment authorization.
For more information about Uniting for Ukraine, visit https://www.dhs.gov/ukraine and https://www.uscis.gov/ukraine.
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