„War was not the end of my story”

Each day at Fundacja Polskie Centrum Pomocy Międzynarodowej (PCPM), we are committed to supporting as many people as possible. It brings us immense joy to hear from those we have helped, especially when they share their gratitude for the support they received. Below is a letter from Yana Klikushyna, who, thanks to a project supporting her postgraduate studies, was able to rebuild her life and move forward on new terms.

I repeatadly ask myself this question, as I write these words: How do you return to a place that has been erased?

We came to Poland from Beryslav, a small town in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. It was once full of life and beautiful, known for the wide Dnieper River and the hydroelectric plant in Kakhovka. Today, it is destroyed, burned, and emptied of its people. My home no longer exists. The streets where I grew up no longer exist.

What PCPM has done for my family goes far beyond financial support. You didn’t just pay for my education, you gave me back my profession. My dignity My future.

We arrived to Warsaw with just two suitcases, convinced that we’re staying only for a month or two. But isn’t this what we all thought? That soon we will come back to our lives, open the front door to our homes, that everything will be as it was before? Over time, we slowly realized that there was no home waiting for us anymore

My mother is retired and very ill. I became the only person who could work – the only one who could carry us forward. I started looking for a job and quickly faced reality: my degree obtained in my country needed to be recognized by the welcoming country. I found a university where I wanted to study, but couldn’t pay for the accreditation when every month is a struggle just to cover the bills. How do you invest in the future when survival consumes everything?

One day I accidentally came across a post from PCPM about support for teachers. I wrote to them without much hope – and they replied. I recived help. In that moment, I felt something I had almost forgotten – hope. Is this really happening? Does someone really want to believe in my profession, in my experience, in me?

Yet again, I had to face another obstacle. My degree covers two specializations in languages – Ukrainian and English. Because of the number of academic hours, only Ukrainian was recognized. To continue teaching English, which is now both my job and my passion, I had to enroll in postgraduate studies. Again, I was experiencing the feeling of uncertainty. Again, financial impossibility. Should I give up? Should I accept that the war has taken not only my home but also my calling?

I decided to write another letter. And once again, someone listened.

Today, my postgraduate studies are funded by the foundation. I am also attending a Polish language course, because knowing the language of the country that has given me refuge is not only a necessity but also a sign of respect. It is also a step toward feeling that I truly belong here.

Where would I be today if it weren’t for You? Without family, without support, without any safety net, what would our lives look like? I don’t dare to imagine it.

Thanks to you, I wake up in the morning and go to a job I truly love. Thanks to you, I stand in front of my students not as a victim of war, but as a teacher. Thanks to you, my mother feels that we are not alone in this world.

You have given us more than financial support. You have given us continuity when everything else was destroyed. You have given us the chance not just to survive – but to truly live.

Thanks to you, the war did not have the final word in my story.

– Yana Klikushyna