Ukrainian refugee who fled war with three children now volunteering at food bank

By Gwen Lardner

A Ukrainian woman forced to flee her country with young children is now a regular volunteer at the food bank which supported her family when they first arrived in South London.

Kateryna Nechyporuk, 32, arrived in the UK in April with her husband, two young daughters and stepson to live with extended family in Orpington.  

With no means to support themselves in the UK, Kateryna sought out the nearest branch of the Bromley food bank and received an emergency food parcel to help feed her young family.

On this first visit, Kateryna offered her services as a volunteer, just weeks after arriving in the UK.

She saw it as a way to improve her English and give back to the community that, she says, has been so welcoming. 

“Lots of people have helped us – they really have been unbelievably supportive – so this was my opportunity to do something in return,” she said. 

Kateryna now works at the food bank every Wednesday, helping to prepare food parcels for other families in need.

Despite not having previous experience, she realised she could be of help after chatting to the other volunteers. She began work the following week. 

Almost every week since Kateryna started volunteering, other Ukrainian refugees have contacted the food bank for support.

She is able to act as an interpreter and is in an ideal position to advise them, having arrived in the UK so recently herself. 

Kateryna and her husband, Oleg, are from Brovary, a small town near the Ukranian capital, Kyiv. Before the outbreak of war they had recently bought a new home and were running their own cafe.

Since their arrival, the family have been sleeping on the living room floor at Oleg’s brother’s home. 

As soon as the war ends, it is their intention to go back to Ukraine, although they have no idea when that might be. All three children have settled well in Bromley schools despite the language barrier.

“We try not to tell them too much but they have been faced with the hard reality of war. We are bringing them up to respect other cultures as this is likely to happen again,” Kateryna said. 

The couple made the decision to flee on March 6 when Russian troops came within 1km of their home. It took more than 12 hours to reach Poland on a packed train.

“There were people everywhere, piled high in the carriages and sitting all over the floor. We were in total darkness and had our phones turned off so that the Russians couldn’t track us.”

Kateryna is fearful for her 70-year-old father, who remains at his home in Ukraine. “He has kidney problems and doesn’t speak any English so refused to come with us,” she said. “I felt terrible leaving him but he couldn’t be persuaded.” 

The family are eligible for Universal Credit which means that they only had to resort to using the foodbank once when they first arrived in Orpington. 

Pictured top: Kateryna Nechyporuk at the food bank (Picture: Jen Insall)