A single mother and her three children are among refugees who have fled the war in Ukraine and landed here in San Diego County for their safety.
Olga Kovalchuk speaks five languages and is a teacher and translator back in her hometown of Cherkasy, Ukraine. She escaped with her children, father, brother, and their families. The other family members made it to Los Angeles, while Olga and her kids stayed in San Diego after crossing into the U.S. through the Cross Border Express at the Tijuana Airport.
“We moved through dangerous territory and we are lucky to be safe,” she said. They traveled 6,400 miles, driving through Romania, then Hungary and the Czech Republic. The family then flew to Paris connecting to Mexico City arriving to Tijuana over a week ago.
“I love my country but the situation is very terrible,” Olga continued, “especially for the children to be always in the basement. Here we are outside and not in a basement and it is very well.”
Her family is now living with Carolyn and Zak O’Neill in their four-bedroom house in Carmel Valley. The O’Neills are empty-nesters with two grown children and extra space that they were happy to share with refugees on the run to safety.
The couple had been watching the tragedy unfold as the Russians continued their invasion. They had discussed wanting to help in some way. A call to the House of Ukraine in Balboa Park unexpectedly and quickly connected them to the Kovalchuk family.
“It’s not just us everybody wants to help,” Carolyn O'Neill told KPBS News, “we just need to find how to do it in a loving way.”
Zak O'Neill is a firefighter with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. His department joined their effort to collect donations.
With their grown children out of the house, they welcomed the opportunity to be host parents. “It’s just nice having the little kids and Max in the house and just trying to find them a routine,” he said. “They will never go back to a normal routine again, I don’t believe. But, we can bring them some normalcy.”
Max, 15, is Olga’s eldest son. He speaks English and is doing his best to adapt. His 9-year-old sister Sophia is missing from the family. The day they fled, she was with her father and did not make it to the Ukrainian border in time to join them.
“I miss my friends and my sister. I miss Ukraine, but now I’m not in danger and my family is in safety,” Max said.
Despite the tragedy, there is hope and some joy in this family’s story. Olga and her son Max say they are thrilled to be in the beautiful Southern California weather they heard so much about.
The family will stay with the O’Neills for now. Olga’s next goal is her children’s education and to get them in school. After that, she needs to find a job.
“I can’t predict tomorrow’s day because the situation can change rapidly and tragically. We believe in God and I hope everything will be ok. We just pray,” Olga said.
The O’Neills started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family’s needs.
You can donate at this link https://gofund.me/3f5afed8
