Ukrainian refugee helps others settle into West Berkshire
A Ukrainian woman living in Thatcham is helping other refugees settle into West Berkshire and find work, writes Lars Mucklejohn.
Dana Drokina, 33, is originally from Kyiv, where she received her bachelor’s degree and worked in sales and marketing before the Russian invasion.
She fled Ukraine shortly after the war began, first crossing into Poland where she volunteered at railway and bus stations.
She said: “I never thought of the possibility of going to live abroad or study abroad.
“When I decided to leave, I thought it would maybe be for two or three weeks, and then everything would have finished, because it makes no sense to have this messy, big war in the heart of Europe.”
Ms Drokina arrived in the UK on April 19 and currently lives with a host family in Thatcham under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.
On choosing to come to the UK, she said: “I thought that maybe I could somehow be more productive and more useful here because I speak English.
“It is an amazing experience because here in England I have this enormous support. I feel very welcome and comfortable.”
Within days of arriving, she began volunteering at Educafe, a Community Interest Company and the official home of West Berkshire’s Diverse Ethnic Communities Support Agency.
She now works there as a community engagement representative for education, training and employment.
You can find out more about Educafe at https://www.educafeuk.co.uk
The company holds English language sessions for Ukrainians at Newbury Town Hall and job support meetings at Newbury Library.
“When you know English, you have freedom,” Ms Drokina said.
She felt “especially more settled” after finding work, adding: “I did not want to apply for any benefits here because I think I can offer something to this job market.
“I am a pretty active person. I do not want to just sit and wait for someone to come and help me.”
In collaboration with the Newbury and West Berkshire Ukraine Support Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1816898838508647), she has organised several job workshops.
“Because I have this advantage of knowing English, I want to and should help my community find some job opportunities,” she added.
These workshops have provided dozens of refugees information on the UK job market, CVs, applications and interviews, with talks from the National Careers Service, manufacturing company Norma Group and recruitment agency Aligra.
Some attendees have since received job offers.
“We have Ukrainians from many different backgrounds, and they have a lot of experience and qualifications, so of course they want to get their lives back,” she said.
She added that Ukrainian mothers have looked for part-time jobs while caring for their children.
Ms Drokina hoped to continue the workshops and was grateful to Newbury Baptist Church for hosting them, as well as offering refugees a place to socialise each Wednesday afternoon.
She created the group “Ukrainians in Newbury” on the Telegram messenger app for refugees to “support each other” and “put less pressure on our hosts”.
So far around 130 people have joined.
She is now aiming to reach other areas of Berkshire and is planning a social and employability event with IKEA in Reading called “Under Peaceful Skies” on Saturday, July 23 to “gather people to cheer them up and connect them with other Ukrainans”.
When asked about eventually returning to Ukraine, she called it “the main, painful question - not just for me but a lot of Ukrainians”.
On her life in the UK, she said: “On the one hand, it is a good experience, a new experience. On the other hand, it is a big pain because it was not my plan to come to the UK.”
Ms Drokina added that she would continue “monitoring the situation” in her country.
“We all dream about peace for Ukraine,” she said.
