the painful exile of refugees in France

Packing, labeling and preparing parcels for shipment has become Nataliia Tarasova’s daily routine. Arrived from Ukraine four months ago, she has just signed a permanent contract in a factory, on the outskirts of Nantes (Loire-Atlantique). “It’s the host family who put me up who helped me find this job. It’s a great chance to have found a job in France, without speaking French”, she says. Originally from Zaporizhia (Ukraine), Olena Samoilenko, former director of human resources, had never worked in a factory. Thanks to this CDI, Olena has just rented a house, to live there with her two children and her parents.

Neighbors gave her clothes and furniture. “My sons are going to share their room with two but they are really happy, because lately we have been sleeping three in one room”, she says. Nataliia also found a home. To remember Ukraine, she often prepares a very typical meat dish, which her husband and daughter love. The young girl begins to integrate. Nataliia’s parents had to stay in Kharkiv (Ukraine), a city regularly targeted by bombing. Very worried, she calls them at least twice a day. “I have a heavy heart. I hope I can bring my family to France, now that my husband and I are more stable and have a job”she explains.