Ukranian finds refuge in U.S.

In February of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine with the intention of escalating the war that began in 2014. Six months later Oleksandra Davydova, who lived on the eastern border of Russia and Ukraine in Kharkiv, said they still lived in fear. Now more than a year later, Sasha, a Davydova prefers to be called, has found refuge with a family in San Francisco.

Sasha recently visited Trout Creek with her host family. Sara Edrington is the daughter of Trout Creek resident Patty English.

"It was scary to move around the house, even to take a shower. The sirens kept going off all the time. We had an app to tell us where the bombings were going to be," Sasha said from English's home last week. Citizens had no more than two minutes to take shelter before the bombs hit. Sasha said she was afraid to leave the house even though the bombings occurred at a certain time of day and the app always let them know when to take shelter. "I got tired of hearing the sirens that kept going off all the time from the app, so I turned it off," Sasha said.

People began moving into the subways where it was safer. They stayed in tents. They brought their parrots, dogs and cats that were going to the bathroom everywhere, she added. Sasha had been living with her mother and father, grandmother, boyfriend and his mother plus her cat, and Sasha's dogs and cat in a home for six months. "My boyfriend wouldn't leave his mom," she said. "The attacks have been reduced in Kharkiv, now they are once a week there but still daily in other cities," she added.

Men between 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine because they may be needed to fight, according to Sasha. After six months, when she decided to leave, Sasha's mom decided to go to Poland to work. Sasha traveled by bus for 24 hours with her mom.

Sasha found the Edrington family through a program called Uniting for Ukraine, which matched refugees with foster families.

In the United States, Edrington was researching the program Uniting for Ukraine. "The program didn't run well, if you had questions you couldn't always get through," Edrington said. She and her husband had decided to look into fostering Ukrainian children. "It became complicated because the 17-year-old girl we were going to take in had a stepmother who did not have legal guardian documents. The U.S. would not let her into the country because of possible child trafficking."

Edrington felt she should do something to help people who were losing their homes. "I wanted to take action and show my children that it's not just about words, but doing something. This was an experience my children could understand and learn from."

When Sasha first applied to leave Ukraine and find a safe home, she posted on the Facebook page for Uniting for Ukraine. There she found the paperwork to apply. Her paperwork was lost. She had to apply again. That is when Edrington found Sasha.

Sasha was skeptical after having responses from men searching for young women. At the same time Edrington was reading about different people who were applying for refuge in the U.S. She decided for her own children's sake it would be better to have an older boarder who would be self-sufficient. The Edringtons and Sasha video chatted to see if they were a good fit. Pictures of their home were shared with Sasha. "I thought it was fake because it was so beautiful. I had trust issues from my bad experiences," Sasha said. Eventually, a match was made and Sasha boarded a plane to Germany and then another 14-hour flight to San Francisco.

During the past year with the Edrington family, the 22-year-old started a job at Nordstrom's and is taking classes online from the Ukraine University. "I'm studying International Relations. I chose it to learn different languages. I can speak Russian, Ukrainian, English and I am learning French and can understand some Polish. But I don't like the politics of these studies," Sasha said.

"If you have the ability to help families, please do," she commented. Edrington added, "A safe space is most important to people, not beautiful things and money. It is important to use age appropriate language with your children regarding war. This experience expands their depth of empathy and perspective. My kids share their experience with their friends which causes a positive ripple effect in the community." Edrington said that her 9-year-old son looks up to Sasha as a big sister. She said he sweeps her bedroom and leaves change for her.

The U.S. government did a background check on the Edrington finances and home life to make sure they could support a refugee. If you are interested in opening up your home, Edrington suggests visiting the Uniting for Ukraine website at uscis.gov/ukraine, and click on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. She can be reached at [email protected] and Patty English is at [email protected].