The Telbizov family escaped their war-torn country in August 2022 and have been living in Kelowna, B.C., ever since.
“We love Canada and we are happy to be here and it’s a safe space for our children,” said Alexandra Telbizova. “It’s important to us.”
But now the Ukrainian family of six, including four children ranging in age from four to 13, is struggling to make ends meet.
“I worked two months but right now, I don’t have a full-time job. I’m looking for another job,” said Anatolii Telbizov.
Telbizov, who has a plumbing and construction background, is taking any job he can.
His wife is a nail technician and is taking the odd client.
The couple said they are able to put food on the table thanks in part to the food bank, the school their girls attend and the Ukrainian community, but still struggling financially.
To make matters worse, the family is now facing eviction from their rental home.
“We cannot afford the rent because it’s so expensive for us … because our landlord wants to increase our rent payments and it doesn’t work for us,” Telbizov said.
Mel Cowan met the family recently. The West Kelowna man and his wife wanted to host a Ukrainian family for Christmas and got connected with the Telbizov family through the Ukrainian church.
Get daily National news
“Once we got to meet, we realized how much they were really struggling, and we were at a loss for how to help them,” Cowan told Global News.
Touched by the difficult situation, Cowan has now started GoFundMe page to offer the family some support.
“It’s tough enough to leave everything behind and come here and hope for a better life, and so far it’s been a struggle and we just like to see that smoothed out a little bit,” Cowan said.
Cowan said the goal is to raise $7,500.
“Just hopefully a couple of months’ rent and a damage deposit just to hit the reset button for them,” Cowan said.
The couple are also hoping for any leads on rental homes to accommodate a family of six and their cat for a maximum of $3,000 a month.
They’re also hoping for any full-time job prospects for Telbizov so they can be self-sufficient.
While their situation is currently bleak, the family is grateful for all the help they have received so far in Kelowna.
“We are here, just four months, but we met a lot of good people,” Telbizov said. “Everybody tries to help us and we very appreciate this help.”
Those who would like to donate to the family can do so through the GoFundMe page.
Comments