‘Help Ukraine’, says woman assisting foreign exchange students fleeing war, aftermath

ATLANTA — The Russia-Ukraine war has not ended and the dozens who gathered for a rally at Centennial Olympic Park on Saturday afternoon wanted to ensure people did not forget.

Tonight, we’re learning more about the effort from one local woman who has started the process of hosting Ukraine foreign exchange students to remove them from the war zone.

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“We have Ukrainian students, which don’t have anywhere to return to, they don’t have homes, their homes are gone,” Nadezda Dhadiala said.

Dhadiala said her priority is taking kids away from the war in Ukraine.

“Nothing is safe anymore because houses are being bombed,” she said.

We’ve shown you images of fleeing families left to try to recreate homes in bordering towns leading to an increase in Ukrainian students finding alternate means of getting an education.

“So taking a kid out of a traumatic environment, even though they say we’re fine we’re good, no, nothing is good,” Dhadiala said.

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Dhadiala was born in Russia, but is now an American citizen. She said she felt compelled to do her part to help.

“Because I was a former foreign exchange student, because I experienced that here, I know it changes lives,” she said.

Because of that experience as a foreign exchange student in Midland, Texas, Dhadiala said it changed her life completely.

She began the process of hosting a Ukrainian teen to study abroad here in metro Atlanta.

“I became a global citizen,” she said.

With the help of the Greenheart Student Exchange Program, this 15-year-old who goes by the name of Tim for safety reasons will arrive in Georgia on Aug. 5 and will attend Dunwoody High School in the fall.

“They are in Ukraine; they will be in Ukraine there in the eastern part where the city was bombed once,” Dhadialia said.

What may seem small to some, she said is life-changing for both him and his family.

“So taking a kid out of a traumatic environment, even though they say ‘we’re fine, we’re good,’ no, nothing is good,” she said.

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Dhadialia said she is doing her part to help Ukrainians and wants others to do the same.

“Help Ukraine, Ukraine still needs help the war is still not over for them,” she said.

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