The Ukrainian Social Club in Twickenham and Hounslow is attempting to raise £3,000 to support activities catered to refugees, with last week marking the third year of war in the country.
Founded at Twickenham‘s Prosperity Cafe, which acted as a humanitarian hub to provide aid to those displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the club aims to provide a safe space and comfort for Ukrainian refugees.
Founded by Alina Luts and Maria Kurianova after they met at the cafe, the award-winning group has gone from strength to strength, and caters to the psychological and legal well-being of refugees in the area.
Former lawyer Luts said: “The goal is to make a happy and safe environment for the Ukrainian community.”
United by a shared sense of grief and a strong desire to take action, Luts and Kurianova assumed the roles of lead coordinators of the hub.
Their first meeting in April 2022 resulted in a promising turnout of 120 people, encouraging them to launch their own project to provide a community space on a regular and permanent basis.
Since then, Ukrainian Social Club has been home to over 1,000 families, and in recognition of their efforts, the two founders were titled winners of the Community Heroes award from Richmond Council in 2022.
Credit: https://www.ukrainiansocial.club/. Alina Luts (left) and Maria Kurianova (right)
Luts, who has a PhD in law, worked as a lawyer and lecturer in Ukraine prior to her move to the UK 20 years ago, while co-founder Kurianova moved to the UK four years ago with her husband, having formerly worked as a district nurse in Ukraine.
Their respective backgrounds and shared desire to connect with people made them compatible team leaders.
Kurianova said: “I’ve always enjoyed psychology and I find it interesting to meet different people, and see how they act and react”.
Luts added: “My skills are definitely very helpful at the moment, being a lawyer, knowing the laws and policies makes me understand a broader picture.
“Maria has perfect communication skills, particularly with people. I guess we complete each other in this way.”
The duo’s latest fundraising effort is aimed to support and continue the creative activities the club offers to refugee families, which include dance ensembles, a children’s choir, a youth drama studio and weekly art lessons.
Single mother Liubov, 41, and her daughter Olivia, seven, have been visiting the club since its inception.
The pair currently live in Hounslow and fled to the UK to seek refuge from a region of Ukraine which has since been occupied by Russia.
They came across Ukrainian Social Club via WhatsApp groups, where fellow displaced Ukrainians could connect online.
Olivia enjoys and takes part in Ukrainian dance, singing and art lessons, while the space offers her the chance to retrace her roots and practise her Ukrainian.
Liubov praised the club for preserving Ukrainian culture across different generations.
She said: “I learned even more about our Ukrainian traditions here in the UK than back at home.”
The single-mother explained how the space provides parents, who are predominantly mothers, some respite from the burden of daily responsibilities, and time to socialise with parents who face similar predicaments.
Liubov said: “You are not stable, mentally. You have a lot of problems, and you don’t know what to do.
“At least with the club, the kids are busy, and you can connect with yourself.
“I’m alone, I don’t have a husband to help me.
“That’s why I couldn’t manage work, and we suffered from a lot of stresses, particularly with the kids, mentally. It all laid on my shoulders”.
Ukrainian Social Club also offers legal advice to refugees on matters such as housing benefits, pensions and visa extensions, organising consultations with Citizens Advice and an immigration lawyer who specialises in visa extensions.
Additionally, the community space offers refugees career advice, and the founders have recently developed a business training course on self-employment and start-ups in partnership with Richmond Council.
The founders confer with psychologists who are fellow refugees to provide lectures on mental health as well.
In commemoration of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion, the founders took part in events hosted in Twickenham and Trafalgar Square.
Evening of Invincibility was hosted at Twickenham’s York House to pay tribute to Ukrainian artists who had lost their lives to the war and Mayor of Richmond Richard Pyne was among those who attended to pay their respects.
The second event took the form of a march in Trafalgar Square on the exact date which marked the outbreak of the war.
Luts said: “It was unfortunately our third event. I hope this year is our last.”
Co-founder Kurianova reflected on how rewarding it felt to see those outside of the Ukrainian community showing their support.
She said: “It gives us so much belief in ourselves. When somebody is supporting you, you feel far more powerful.
“The Evening of Invincibility gave me a special power again, because I felt that we are strong, and we will be supported and we will win.
“I want to believe in that and I want that to become true.”
As community leaders, Luts and Kurianova envision a future where there are no more war refugees, but simply just a Ukrainian community.
Donations to the Ukrainian Social Club in support of their projects can be made via JustGiving.
Picture credits: Ukrainian Social Club
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