Alina Manekina (34) single mother, was a lawyer in her home city of Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region. She worked closely with the police in the regional government office where she specialized in land rights and civil rights matters. She came to Warsaw with her mother (57) and her 8-year-old son.

Her story:
“On the first night when we heard the explosions at 3am, I knew exactly what was happening. My war actually started in 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea. And now I knew that we wouldn’t be safe, particularly as I worked for the local government. My house and the building where I worked were destroyed. I moved to Dnipro for 20 days but when I heard the war planes there too I knew it was time to leave Ukraine. In the beginning, it was hard for me to adapt because of the language barrier and my graduate law degree certificate from Ukraine meant nothing. I had to do manual jobs. Now I work in the office in the Modlinska center and my knowledge is important as I deal with documents for residents.”

The Future:
She could never go back to Bakhmut because the city is gone. Even today it is on the front line and soldiers are fighting over it. Nobody is left in the city of what used to be 80,000 people. She may return to Ukraine one day but not Bakhmut.

An Ask For Help:
Alina’s major focus in on getting her son a good education. Her son is in Ukrainian school in Warsaw which you have to pay for – around $200 a month. Alina needs support to help with her son’s education.