Jordi, our Hearing Aid Audiologist in Dundrum, and his wife Olha have made it their mission to provide help in any way they can. Having sourced a few old laptops, just collecting dust in the storeroom, Jordi asked if he was able to refurbish and donate them to a few local Ukrainian hubs and refugee camps here in Ireland.
We were more than happy to agree so after a good clean and reformatting, Jordi and Olha started reaching out to those who could benefit from them most and were asked if they could donate one of the laptops to a family of three in Dalkey, South Dublin.
Yana Katasonova and her two children are from Pavlograd, West Dnipro which was currently being shelled on a weekly basis, as it is so close to the Donetsk region. After sending her daughter, aged 16, to Ireland to learn English just under a year ago, the Russian attack began. Last March, Yana then made the decision to flee to Ireland with her 10 year old son. Taking only what they could fit inside a rucksack and leaving her husband and her home behind, Yana hopes they will all be able to return once the Russian invasion ends.
Having previously worked as a journalist in Ukraine, she is now working as a part-time waitress in Ireland to help make ends meet. This has made things very difficult for the family to settle in Ireland, due to her children needing her support and currently acting as an only parent. Yana is unable to have a full-time job and so depends on the generosity of others to help support her children here and her husband over in Ukraine.
By donating a laptop to Yana, this has enabled her children to keep up with their studies while also allowing Yana to continue learning English. She would love to be able to start writing again, so this is only the first step. Keep posted for updates!
After their visit Jordi received this Facebook message from Yana:
Hello! My name is Yana. I came to Ireland from Ukraine in March after the start of the war in Ukraine. Starting life in a new country with two children is very difficult! Of course, we had stress, the news from home is not encouraging. I am very grateful to Jordi Cornado and his wife Olga for helping my children - on Saturday they brought my children a computer! Sofia and Max are very happy! Thank you so much for your help and support during this difficult time for our family!