Ukrainian refugee offers help with Sunderland Salvation Army

A Ukrainian refugee who resettled in Sunderland after the outbreak of war is helping others after getting a job at The Salvation Army. 

Olena Myronova works as a Refugee Support Co-ordinator and Translator, based at Monkwearmouth Salvation Army in Roker Avenue, after being supported into the role by the church and charity’s Employment Plus service. 

The Salvation Army is highlighting the contribution refugees make to mark Refugee Week, which runs until 22 June. Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, Sunderland Monkwearmouth has been offering a safe space for Ukrainian families to meet, pray and connect with the local community, as well as hosting concerts, bilingual worship, holiday activities for children and supporting refugees into volunteering and employment roles. 

As part of her role, Olena offers practical support with translation, signposting, housing, jobs, school applications and visa applications, as well as emotional support for fellow Ukrainians as the war continues.

Olena said: “I just want to be useful for the Ukrainian community and for The Salvation Army because it’s a place that is really friendly and safe, where all Ukrainians can relax and have some nice conversation and manage our problems. It’s an amazing place for us to be. Working for The Salvation Army will be my first paid role since being in the UK, and although I am happy to help my community for free, having money come in will help me and my family a lot.

“I feel settled down at the moment. Although I worry all the time about the situation in Ukraine, I am happy to be here in the UK. I am sure that we are absolutely the luckiest people because we are here and we are safe and we have had the support of The Salvation Army leaders Majors David and Elizabeth McCaw-Aldworth and Sue Parks from the Employment Plus service. They have been so helpful for the entire Ukrainian community.” 

Recalling her decision to come to the UK, Olena explained: “It was a very difficult decision for me to leave our country with my husband and 15-year-old daughter. We thought after a week the war might be finished, but now we’re more than three years on. We lived in a city in the south of Ukraine and it was a dangerous place so we moved somewhere safer, a village with our relatives. It was nice and safer than our home town, but it was still dangerous. For example, in my home town there were missile attacks every night and in the village it was once a week, so you still live with the fear.

“The first six months to 10 months in the UK it was difficult for us, but now it is much better. Now we feel life is more normal because of the people and the help we’ve received. All Ukrainians really appreciate The Salvation Army. It shows there are good people out there.”

In Ukraine, Olena worked for the local government at City Hall while her husband, who now works at a supermarket, was a lawyer. At first Olena volunteered while studying English, but after growing in confidence she felt ready to apply for a paid role. 

With Employability Day taking place on Friday, Olena credits The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus Service, which offers tailored support to help people find a job and stay in work, with helping her succeed in the job application and interview. 

She continued: “Sue, the Employment Development Co-ordinator, is an amazing person. She helped with my CV, cover letter, difficult language things, she told me about interview techniques and prepared some questions. Without Sue I would have really struggled to do the application because of different systems being in a different country.

“Sue has helped a lot of the Ukrainian community in their search for work. Sue also helped them with some different qualifications like food hygiene and English language. She always tells us to ask her for help if we need it. She comes once a week to Monkwearmouth so we can book an appointment with her.” 

For the church leaders, having Olena as part of the team has been a real positive. Major David said: “Olena has already been doing such good work assisting people with job interviews and helping them with getting their children into schools. She knows who everyone is in the Ukrainian group and keeps in contact with them all the time. To have her here in the team with her experience and skill set, it’s priceless. She is brilliant at what she does.”