| durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, June 9, 2022 4 versation about it but we didn't know, we thought it was all talk, most people were completely unprepared," she said of the first night they heard bombing. The family fled to the rural town of Letychiv, where both Inna's and her husband Bogdan's parents live. They were further removed from the fighting there, but could still hear bombs landing at a military station about 50 kilometres away. "We were under huge stress, we couldn't sleep because I was scared something might happen," Bortnyk added. "Every day we would watch the news and we didn't know if the fighting would come to our home area or not." While there they helped repair and restock the community's Cold War-era bunkers with supplies in preparation for use, but after more than a week of bombings the family made the difficult decision to leave the country with their three children: Nika, 5, Daniel 3, and baby Luka, who was only just born. "We love our country but we have kids and we have to think about their future," said Bortnyk. They fled to Poland and then on to Spain, where they stayed with a friend from Inna's university days. When they found out about the Canadian-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program, which allows Ukrainians fleeing the conflict to live, work and study in Canada for up to three years, they decided to apply. "We were prepared for it to be hard, to have to struggle to survive," Bortnyk said of their arrival, but called their placement with Honey and family a "blessing." "You can't imagine the stress of moving to this country with three kids where you don't know the language, there was a lot of fear," said Bortnyk, who adds that she and her husband speak English at a beginner level, but their children don't at all. "But we came here and Kristi said 'relax, it's going to be OK.' And we felt at home. They just understood our situation and gave so much love, It's very calm here and there's so much nature, it reminds me of home. We are very happy to stay here. We feel like we are with family." Honey said the decision to apply as a host family was easy. After researching ways to help with the humanitarian crisis she eventually connected with Ukraine to Canada, which was matching host families to arriving Ukrainians. "If it were us and our country was at war and we had to leave with what we could carry, we would also have to rely on the generosity of strangers so we thought, 'let's do it'," Honey recalls, noting the family also didn't hesitate when they were contacted about hosting the family of five. "We heard a family of five were in need and my husband and I looked at each other and said, 'who else can take in a family of five?' You need a lot of space for that and we are blessed to have that space, so we wanted to help." She credits the community for their immediate support, providing essentials including a baby stroller, toys, clothes and other items, and helping with the loan of a suit, dress shoes and even offering a practice interview ahead of Bogdan's interview with Elexicon Energy, where he is now employed. "It's just so incredibly heartwarming to see everyone rally to support this family in need," Honey said of the response. The Bortnyks are not the only Ukrainian family to seek refuge in Durham. The Region of Durham has put together a special task force to help assist arriving families in partnership with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Durham Region chapter. "Right at the beginning of the war Chair John Henry wrote to the federal and provincial governments reminding them that Durham is always welcoming and has been a destination of choice for many immigrants arriving to Canada," said Allison Hector-Alexander, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Region of Durham. "We know immigration has had and continues to have a tremendous impact on our communities." The region is working with partners across the GTHA to co-ordinate information and support programs for arriving Ukrainians. Currently about 500 Ukrainians are arriving in the country daily, with 200 coming in through Pearson. "This is a unique group in that the way they're coming here is different, they're identified as immigrants right off the bat, not refugees," said Hector-Alexander. "They can work, participate fully in society and have access to other supports as well. We want to make sure there's a collaborative community effort when it comes to welcoming and helping them settle, and the local Ukrainian community in Durham has stepped up tremendously in that regard." While Canada offers a safe haven, the stress and fear remains for new arrivals like the Bortnyks. "Every day I wake up thinking it will stop but it doesn't stop," Bortnyk said. "Our country is so beautiful and they've just destroyed everything. When we first got to Poland someone turned on the news and I was in shock. We didn't know how bad it was inside Ukraine, how many people had died. At the start of the war, the news in Ukraine was filtered to reduce panic. We love our country, but we don't know what's next for Ukraine." While they keep tabs on the situation back home and are in touch daily with friends and family in Ukraine, the couple is grateful they were able to relocate. "We will give back," said Bortnyk. "We will work hard to help the economy and show the best side of our country and our appreciation, we will do the best we can for the next three years to give back to Canada." For more information on supports for incoming Ukrainians, or to help, visit the Ukrainian Canadian Congress at www.ucc.ca. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: We found out more about efforts to assist Ukrainians arriving in Durham, how families are settling in, and how you can help. COMMUNITY SCAN THE CODE to read more Durham news online. Continued from page 1 'OUR COUNTRY IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND THEY'VE JUST DESTROYED EVERYTHING' Ukrainian civilians work on creating camouflage mats. Inna Bortnyk photo