Kalina's Story & Mother's Day Greetings

14 May 2023

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in our Teachers for Ukraine Initiative!

Last year, as I was reading in shock the news coming out of Ukraine, a country just across the Black Sea from my home country of Bulgaria, I felt horrified, sad and helpless being a stay-at-home mom of a small child, living an ocean away in rural Quebec, Canada. At night, I could not get out of my head the images of the countless shell-shocked moms with babies in their arms, running away from their homes which were savagely attacked; the heart-breaking good-byes of families torn apart; the unimaginable grief of the bereaved mothers. If I hadn't had my own small child to take care of, I would have gone back to Europe to help with the flood of refugees, and if I had had an income, however small, I would have donated to Ukrainian causes. As it was, I had no real means of helping either on site or from afar. Or so I thought, until I realized I could use my skills and contacts as an internationally experienced English language teacher to set up an online teachers initiative supporting Ukrainians in need of language support. And this is how Teachers for Ukraine was born in the spring of 2022. It was born out of the love, sadness, and desperation of one mom, but it is only alive and growing today, more than a year later, thanks to the tremendous power of the love and compassion of hundreds of fellow moms around the world who responded by kindly, lovingly, generously, and graciously offering their professional teaching skills and knowledge, as well as their empathy and friendship to their Ukrainian students, often on top of their already busy professional and personal lives. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your kindness, generosity, and bright humanity. And I would like everyone to know that some of our very first volunteer teachers (who often took on a number of groups of beginners) were Ukrainian teachers, who, in spite of living in places under attack or struggling as refugees, were actively helping other Ukrainians survive in difficult situations and not lose hope. To these special Ukrainian women, my deepest respect and gratitude .

My loving gratitude to my own mom - fearless (at 153 cm), generous, always ready to help and defend anyone in need, be it a sick relative, a neighbour, or a street animal. My mom's name is Nadezda (Надежда) - Hope - and throughout her life, she has been quietly teaching me about the power of love and hope that we all have inside of us and that we can all use to nurture, protect, and heal the world around us, one small act of kindness at a time. I love you, Mom. You taught me the beauty of being a mother in this world.

With all my deepest love and gratitude to all of you for being there for each other and for our Ukrainian friends.

Kalina

founder and administrator at Teachers for Ukraine