Volunteer Story: A Married Couple Helping Others

Today we want to share the story of Oleh and Anel — a couple whose journey to Finland has turned into a story of resilience, kindness, and deep commitment to helping others. Since September 2025, they’ve been among our most active volunteers, supporting newcomers from Ukraine both online and in person.

Anel and Oleh at Moniheli's 15th birthday celebration. Picture: Bisher Sawan

A Journey That Changed Everything

Oleh and Anel describe their arrival in Finland as pure chance or, as they like to say, karma. Before the war in Ukraine started, they had been living a peaceful life and had gone to their long-awaited vacation. But one day, everything changed. In a matter of weeks, they lost their home, their car, and their sense of stability.

“We never planned to come here. It’s the only Nordic country we hadn’t visited before the war and yet, here we are. It’s just a chain of coincidences and circumstances. Karma.”

What followed was a long and difficult journey across several countries full of uncertainty, refugee camps, and endless paperwork.

"Along the way, we met all kinds of people and organisations — good and not so good, selfish and selfless, those who tried to profit from two unlucky refugees, and those who gave their last to help us. One day, I’ll write a book called “How to Travel Across Europe Twice with 30 Euro Cents in Your Pocket,” and I’ll remember everyone we met on that journey. Now it feels like a strange adventure but believe me, it wasn’t very funny at the time. What helped us through, besides the many wonderful people we met? Simply — love. Our crazy, incredible love." - says Oleh.

After months of survival and “incredible adventures,” as Oleh puts it, they reached Finland. 

"Now we are in Suomi — and it seems, we hope, for good. We’re building everything from scratch, and we’re sure we’ll succeed. We’re carefully healing our wounds and scars, while trying even harder to hide the process from others. We study Finnish, try to understand the Finnish mindset, and gently break the stereotypes — both our own and those around us."

“When people helped us, we promised to help others.” Their path to volunteering began naturally. As Oleh explains:

“I truly believe in Kant’s categorical imperative — "...act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law..." . When people we didn’t know shared bread, shelter, money, or advice with us, we always asked how to thank them. And they said: ‘Help others when it’s your turn.’ So now we’re keeping that promise.”

Both Oleh and Anel know firsthand what it means to arrive in a new country with nothing. That’s why they go out of their way to support newcomers, meeting people at the border, helping with practical issues, and offering emotional support. They have become the kind of volunteers who quietly make a huge difference: steady, kind, and always ready to help. Becoming part of the community Their connection to House of Helsinki and the REFUFIN project began almost by chance.

“When we started working with these people, it was like that line from a very old Book: ‘And he saw that it was good.’ Our colleagues turned out to be sincere, compassionate, and truly human. What more could two exhausted but loving hearts need in a far, far away country?”

From the very first meeting, Oleh and Anel felt seen, understood, and welcomed. They didn’t just join a volunteer team, they found a community that shared their values and energy.

Their contribution quickly became extraordinary. In just two months — from September to the end of October 2025 — Oleh and Anel provided offline support to 92 people, meeting newcomers, helping with registration, and guiding them through the first steps of integration. Many of those they helped continued to stay in touch, and the couple kept offering online support long after the first meeting.

This is just WOW!

In House of Helsinki we’ve also witnessed how volunteering itself has supported Oleh and Anel’s own integration. Through helping others, they’ve learned how Finland’s systems of support and reception work in practice from contacting the police or border control, to understanding the steps of the Finnish integration process, to coordinating small but vital details for newly arrived families.

“We’ve been through the hellish circles of the refugee experience ourselves, and we know exactly what it feels like. That’s why we want to help others avoid the same mistakes and painful lessons we went through on this difficult path.” - says Oleh.

Today, Oleh and Anel are not just volunteers — they are part of community. Through every meeting, every shared story, and every small act of kindness, they remind us that belonging isn’t something you find. It’s something you build — together.