Refugee families live in uptown apartments and work 12-hour shifts in Minneapolis, where refugee children attend neighborhood public schools.
Oleg Myniv and Alina Zinnyk, two Ukrainians looking to start a new life in the United States, arrived at the Minneapolis airport on March 22. From the start of the war, the two had been in Poland. Two additional Ukrainian refugees meet them and assist them in loading their belongings into a van so they can go meet their new roommates.
Along with a number of other Ukrainian refugees who recently arrived in the United States, the two will live in a house close to the University of Minnesota. The house is held by American Service in Ukraine, a Minnesota non-profit organization that helps refugees find accommodation and employment and was established after the war started. Before earning enough money to acquire their own apartment, families spend two to three months living in the fraternity-like home.
The Uniting for Ukraine initiative, which allows Americans to sponsor Ukrainians to demonstrate they would be financially supported in the U.S., has reportedly resulted in the admission of more than 128 thousand refugees, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Using conventional refugee procedures or by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, an additional 167,000 refugees and more have entered the country.
Rahman hopes that American companies that stand to gain the most would eventually shoulder the majority of the costs. Now, the organization relies on philanthropic contributions and direct payments from Minnesotans.
“We don’t encourage our people to take government welfare programs, not because there’s anything wrong with that, but because it creates a system of reliance on these programs,” Rahman said. “Also, our people work way too hard to take anything for free. So, a job is the best way for them to build the life they want.”
To provide more jobs for refugees, the group is collaborating with unions and other significant businesses in the Minneapolis area. At the moment, they are looking for more business-related opportunities for these migrants.
The majority of the money they earn for themselves, according to Rahman, will be sent to their relatives in Ukraine, where it will be invested back into our communities.
In response to a tornado that killed 26 people in Mississippi, the charity is sending a group of Ukrainian refugees to assist with recovery work there. They claim to understand what it’s like to be uprooted from one’s home and to wish to repay the nation for all its assistance.
