Ukraine immigrant shares the impact of having a host family in Alberta

Behma Diria, or Dasha, Ukraine immigrant living in Alberta. She left Kyiv for Edmonton, and now she and her almost 6-year-old son Jacob are living with a host family until her husband joins them and they can move into a duplex.

And it all started with a Facebook interaction.

“I don’t know anyone in Canada at all – at all! I don’t know how to find a school for my baby. He should go there. I don’t know how to find a place to live. She [found] everything,” explained Dasha.

“I said, ‘Hello, my name’s Dasha! I want that you protect us, please help.’ And it’s magic, but she answered us – feedback – and she says, ‘No problem!’ Just, ‘No problem!’ How? How no problem?!”

Heather Cournoyer, host for Ukrainian families explained, “this one family popped up – Dasha and her little boy and it just tugged at my heartstrings. It was so amazing, they’re going through so much, and we have so much. I thought we’ve got a house, we’ve got a beautiful bedroom downstairs, separate bed and bathroom so why not?”

But as more and more Ukrainian families plan to move to Alberta this fall to escape the war, will they have places to stay? Will other Albertans be as generous?

A local group in Edmonton that connects Ukrainians with host families fears they won’t.

“New hosts volunteer every day and so far we are staying one step ahead of complete disaster but we hope every day that new hosts come out of the woodwork and step up,” said Cherilyn Michaels, administrator, Edmonton Hosts Ukrainians Facebook group. “And the hosts, they usually have a great time. Usually, they host again and again. There are hosts who are on their fourth round of hosting if you can believe it.”

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Michaels says there are 50 families on the list needing hosts in September – so Cournoyer says Albertans should support in any way they can.

“Every little bit helps. It doesn’t matter whether you can go from A-Z; meaning host them, drive them around, find them a place to live, help them with schooling – it doesn’t matter, because it’s a community. So there are people doing a little bit. If you just can host, maybe can’t drive, or if you can do some driving.”

Dasha says she’s so grateful for her host and Michaels.

“I was very scared to move to Canada,” Dasha told CityNews. “But now I’m so glad – I got where I can live, what I can eat, my child may go to school… what I can want more?”

So if you have a spare room and want to make a difference in a Ukrainian family’s life, you can connect with Edmonton Hosts Ukrainians on Facebook or by email as soon as possible.