Yana’s Story

Yana, who USPUK matched with a host family in Yorkshire earlier this year, recently wrote to us about her experience:

“I’m Yana and I left Ukraine in June 2023. It was not an easy decision, as it was mentally very hard to stay outside of Ukraine for more than two weeks since the beginning of the war. The UK is a safe country, and a big plus for me is the English language, to which I have been devoting a lot of time in recent years. My hosts are my friends, advisors and a great support. I asked my sponsors why they decided to take such a step, to take a stranger into their family, and their answer was that they would want someone to help them in the same way if war came to their country. You have given us the opportunity to start a new life, you have given us new opportunities and most importantly a chance to live without alarms and explosions. For some people, it literally saves their lives. I plan to find my first job in my field and continue to improve my English. My sponsors have showed me nice cities and places nearby. I am now looking for a job.”