Fund has helped bring more than 50 Ukrainian families to Dauphin area

Nataliia Khalabuzar moved to western Manitoba to start a new life with her daughter after Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced her from her home country.

She says a special fund set up to help bring Ukrainians to the Dauphin area and a dedicated group of volunteers offered her a "chance to survive in Canada" when she arrived in May 2022.

"I have never met such people before," Khalabuzar said. "Anything I needed, my daughter needed, they helped us."

She got help from the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund, which was launched in March 2022. The initial hope was that it would help two or three families come to Dauphin, said Jim Perchaluk, the president of the Ukrainian Folk Arts Centre and Museum — the charitable organization that administers the fund. 

Now, 54 families call the region home and the fund has raised $1 million in cash and in-kind donations. 

The fund is meant to help newcomers integrate, find jobs and feel welcomed in the city of roughly 8,400.

"They're not just left on their own. We have people to guide them around the community.… We help them make connections with employers in the community," Perchaluk said.

He estimates Ukrainian newcomers have filled more than 50 vacant jobs, making an important contribution to the local economy.

"It's just a tremendous return, and they definitely are intending to stay in our community," he said.

That includes people like Khalabuzar, who is one of seven Ukrainian newcomers working at Reit-Syd Equipment, an agriculture equipment dealer in Dauphin.

Volunteers helped her find daycare for her daughter so she could take the job, said Khalabuzar.

She was recently approved for a mortgage and bought a house in Dauphin.

"That was incredible," Khalabuzar said. "I unpacked all my stuff.… That was nice to be home — my place to stay."

'A lot of opportunities'

Yullia Semerak, who came to Dauphin with her family in August 2022, also got help from the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund.

Volunteers helped her family find a house, schooling and other necessities.

"I really like it here," she said. "People are so nice and friendly, and there's also a lot of opportunities."

The fund was started by several volunteers working with the Ukrainian Folk Arts Centre and Museum to help bring Ukrainians to Dauphin, a city that has strong connections to Ukrainian culture.

"Word got out between themselves with social media that Dauphin was a great place, and the welcome wagon … was out to welcome people into the community," Perchaluk said.

The program was soon in high demand.

Initially, it was able to secure lease agreements for 12 families for up to a year, along with funding necessities like transportation, food and cellphones.

But it's not just about donations, Perchaluk says — integration is also a major part of the initiative.

Language barriers were identified as an issue, so English as an additional language classes were created, with help from the Dauphin and District Community Foundation.

Perchaluk says when he exchanges greetings with some of the newcomers on the street now, "it's no longer in Ukrainian, it's in English … because they want to use the English language."

He thinks the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund could remain active for at least another year or two.

"We never dreamt that somebody would have told us a year and a half ago that we would have 54 families here in Dauphin and you'd be able to help them out," Perchaluk said. "It's all reality now."

Community connections help with settlement

Daria Lykha says having community connections and support is critical for families arriving from Ukraine.

She and her husband, Romeo Gogia, moved to Brandon at the end of August.

They are one of more than 300 Ukrainian families that have settled in the city with the help of Tryzub — Brandon's Ukrainian-Canadian Association.

After first settling in Winnipeg in January, they came to Brandon looking for more of a small-town feel, hoping it would be easier to make community connections, Lykha said.

"We are really, like, all together," she said. "It's much better community-wise.… Any time, we can text on the group chat or something and somebody is going to help you out."

That kind of support is essential, since many Ukrainians fleeing the war had little time to prepare to start new lives in a new country, Lykha said.

The community connections also help create a sense of safety, she said.

"It's giving you so much power that you're not just one. Like, you are not alone like this," Lykha said. "There are more people just like you."