'The work is incredibly important': How a Winnipeg woman has been helping in Ukraine
CTV
Home for the holidays has taken on a whole new meaning for a Winnipeg woman who has spent more than a year in Ukraine rebuilding schools and helping students.
Home for the holidays has taken on a whole new meaning for a Winnipeg woman who has spent more than a year in Ukraine rebuilding schools and helping students.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Patricia Maruschak answered the call and headed to Kyiv in October 2022 to help. She works with Finn Church Aid, a Finnish humanitarian organization that provides education support in emergencies.
On her way to Ukraine, she said Russia bombed the centre of Kyiv, killing several people.
"That hadn't happened for a long time since the war started. I think it was quite shocking and it was a little bit of a surprise to myself, my family was a little bit concerned," she told CTV News.
But she noticed something else in Ukraine too – resilience.
"Entering into Ukraine by train, you see that despite the fact that it's a country in the middle of a full-blown war, I mean life does go on, people do continue with their everyday normal lives," she said.
"They persevere despite some difficult and uncertain conditions."
