Quebec woman hosts Ukrainian family of five who fled the war

Quebecer José Aumais from Lorraine, a suburb north of Montreal, decided to open up her home to a family of five from Ukraine, fleeing the war and their hometown of Odessa. 

“I’m living alone in a house, I have enough space for them to sleep,” Aumais said. “I was thinking maybe for once I have to do something concrete.”

It’s been a month since the family arrived and Aumais says the whole process has been a whirlwind.

“It happened very fast,” she said. “This winter I was in my home, sitting in the comfort of my home and watching the news, and I was feeling very sad for those people. So I met someone who could bring me a family and at the end of the four days they were home.”

 “It’s a very big step,” said Pavlo Bohachuk, the patriarch of the family. “She’s a very wonderful woman.”

Aumais says she communicates with the family in English and sometimes via an internet translator.

She says the Bohachuk family left their family behind in Odessa.

“They’re worried about them all the time, but they went to Europe for two months and they passed through countries. They had trouble finding a house or some place to live because they were a big family of five,” Aumais said. “Finally they decided  to make the big move and come here.” 

The family of five is now settling into life in Quebec. 

The Bohachuk family from Odessa, Ukraine now lives in Lorraine, Quebec with José Aumais. (Credit: José Aumais / handout)

Pavlo is now working in car repairs. His wife, Liubov, is helping Aumais around the house. The eldest son, 16 year-old Pavlo Jr. is doing online school at night based in Ukraine and working at a restaurant. Daughters Sofia, 14, and Liubov Jr., 9, are enjoying the summer before starting school here in September. 

 “I think they feel good being here because everything is calm and beautiful,” said Aumais. 

For Pavlo, it resembles a little of their life in Ukraine.

“We live, too, in a house, we don’t live in the town, and when we come in the house, it’s very nice news for my family. We like to live in the house, not in the town,” he said.

Aumais has been getting donations from the community to help her provide for the family. 

“It’s my dream,” said Pavlo. “We want to stay here, it’s a really beautiful, nice place.”

The Bohachuk family from Odessa, Ukraine now lives in Lorraine, Quebec with José Aumais. (Credit: José Aumais / handout)

The Bohachuks say they’ll need about three to four months to get on their feet.  

“The next step is to get enough money to find a place to live and to get them ready for that,” Aumais said.  “My role is to take them where they need to be, so a job and a place to live. Everything they need to know about Quebec.”

Aumais now encourages others to help host a family like she is. She initially had registered on the government site to welcome a Ukrainian family, but didn’t hear back. She then contacted a volunteer who coordinates the arrival of Ukrainians, through the Center social d’aide aux immigrants (CSAI), a community organization dedicated to welcoming immigrants.  

Contact Center social d’aide aux immigrants for more.

“We live in good houses, we have good jobs,” she said. “But they don’t have this opportunity back there, so they say we live in paradise here.”