On December 28, 2025, just days before the New Year, freezing rain fell across Ontario. Roads were slick and visibility was poor, yet volunteers from Tzu Chi’s North Toronto service center still made their way to visit two Ukrainian families: that of Maksym Bakriev and Nina Tkach.
It was not a one‑time holiday visit. For three and a half years, ever since these families first arrived in Canada in 2022, volunteers have been checking in, listening, and offering practical help as the families rebuild their lives far from home.
This winter’s visit brought something new: the families themselves had prepared a special surprise to give back.
From war to relative safety
The connection began on June 16, 2022. That day, Tzu Chi’s Eastern Canada branch held its third distribution for people who had fled the war in Ukraine and recently reached Canada.
When Maksym and Nina’s families arrived at that event, their faces showed exhaustion and uncertainty. They had been forced to leave everything behind and were trying to navigate a new country, language, and system, searching for a narrow path forward.
Three and a half years later, volunteers were heartened to see how much had changed.
Maksym, who speaks good English, has steadily integrated into Canadian society. Last year, he obtained permanent resident status and was able to move into more stable employment. He shared that in his most difficult period—those first months after arriving in Canada—it was Tzu Chi’s consistent, long‑term care that gave him a sense that he was not facing everything alone.
Nina continues to work at a bakery. She supports the household on her income while caring for her two children. The kids are growing up in Canada, getting taller and more independent.
Her son Pavlo, now 17, is in Grade 12 and expects to graduate from high school in June 2026. However, because his permanent resident application is still being processed, he cannot yet apply for university admission or student loans. Aware of the financial pressure, Pavlo has mentally prepared himself to work first after graduation, and only return to school once his status is resolved.
The volunteers admired his maturity, even as they felt a quiet ache that war and paperwork had complicated such a simple dream to continue studying.
Seeds of kindness begin to circulate
During the visit, Pavlo proudly showed volunteers a handmade gift he had crafted for his younger sister Darianna. The clothing he designed was filled with creative details—and to the volunteers’ surprise, some of the patterns spelled out Chinese characters such as “我” (I), “不” (not), and “要” (want).
Volunteer Jane Huang encouraged him. If he was interested, she said, he could consider joining the adult Mandarin classes at the TCML (Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning) in the future, opening more doors for both further education and career paths.
The family’s eldest daughter Rose also joined the conversation, using a mobile translation app to share an update: about a month earlier, she had undergone hip surgery. Doctors estimated that she would need at least five months of rehabilitation. Thankfully, the company’s health insurance has covered the medical costs, easing some of the family’s financial worries.
The most moving moment of this home visit came when Maksym and Nina each brought out a familiar green bamboo coin bank.
Over the past year, they had quietly dropped in spare change whenever they could. Now, they handed the bamboo banks back to the North Toronto volunteers.
They said that while they were still working hard to stabilize their own lives, they also wanted to contribute, in their own small way, to help those who might be facing even greater difficulties than they were.
Maksym also mentioned that he still uses the blanket and desk his family received from Tzu Chi when they first arrived. Each time he sees or uses them, he remembers that someone has been accompanying them all along, and it brings him a sense of reassurance.
LEFT: Maksym and Nina place a year’s worth of savings from their bamboo banks into the hands of volunteer Jane Huang (second left), hoping their kindness can reach others in need. RIGHT: Pavlo’s handmade gift for his sister Darianna is full of care—and even features Chinese characters. | Photos: Kelly Zhen
Long-term care that lights a path
Tzu Chi’s support for these families has never been just about emergency relief or a few supplies. From that first distribution in 2022 to this winter’s visit, volunteers from the North Toronto service center have stayed in touch—listening when jobs were uncertain, encouraging the children at each school milestone, and celebrating steps like permanent residency or successful surgery.
For the families, this steady, familiar presence in a foreign country has become a kind of emotional anchor. Especially during the long Canadian winter, when the cold and darkness can deepen feelings of homesickness, knowing that someone will come to visit, share a meal, and ask how they are doing makes a real difference.
This year, Nina baked pistachio cake and bread herself. On the cake, she carefully wrote “Happy New Year” in Ukrainian and added blessings for the volunteers. It was a simple but powerful gesture: she was no longer only receiving care, but also actively expressing gratitude and warmth.
From receiving to giving, a quiet circle of kindness has begun to take shape. The bamboo banks filled with small coins, the handmade gifts, the shared holiday table—none of these erase the pain of leaving home, but they do show that new roots are growing in Canadian soil.
As another year begins, Maksym, Nina, and their children still face challenges: immigration procedures, tuition decisions, rehabilitation, and the daily work of adapting to a new culture. Yet they are no longer standing at the starting line in fear and confusion. Step by step, with their own effort and with steady companionship, they are walking toward a more stable, hopeful future.
Written by Jane Huang (黃淑珍)
