Sofiia, Misha, and I — the first three staff members of the American Service team in Lviv. Misha is currently on hiatus to serve in the Ukrainian military. Sofiia has relocated to Minnesota to lead our overall operations.

My humanitarian work focuses on supporting displaced Ukrainians relocate to Minnesota.

When Russia attacked Ukraine, I went to Poland and crossed the border into Ukraine by foot, to help in the ensuing humanitarian crisis.

I was motivated by the courage of the Ukrainian people, and the history of the Bengali people as refugees.

I spent my own money to start this program, thanks to success in my career as a Digital Director.

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Once in Lviv, Ukraine, I swiftly set up the American Service and hired a team of English-speaking Ukrainians.

At first, we helped with shelter resupply in western Ukraine and organization at the humanitarian camps set up at the Polish-Ukrainian border.

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In late April, 2022, the Biden Administration announced the “Uniting for Ukraine” humanitarian parole program. Ukrainians displaced by the war would be able to relocate to the United States for at least two years. Our team was in a prime position to help this program succeed.

We immediately started an application support program, as well as English language and American cultural classes at our Lviv office.

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To date, we have welcomed over one hundred Ukrainians in the United States, with the vast majority now rebuilding their lives in the state of Minnesota. Learn more about our innovative employment-supported resettlement model at theamericanservice.org

Pictured below: the windows to our office in Lviv, closed in December when we moved our operations fully online. This allowed us to hire nearly a dozen team members between Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States.