Although she now resides in Estevan, a Ukraine woman is doing her part to help those injured in a wave of recent protests in her homeland.
Olya Bilyak has launched the raffle of a beautiful quilt to raise money for a number of protestors who have been injured in the uprising against President Viktor Yanukovych. The protests began in late November when Yanukovych rejected a deal that could have moved Ukraine closer to membership in the European Union. The president's decision has instead moved the country to a closer relationship with Russia, a decision that has enraged many Ukrainians.
Since November there has been a series of protests in Ukraine, the bulk of them in the capital Kiev. In recent weeks the protests have turned violent, as government forces have stepped up their level of aggression against the group led by the country's opposition parties.
Bilyak and many other Ukrainians who have immigrated to Canada have been intently following the news, and she said it has been tough to watch her countrymen injured by the police.
"(A group of students) went to Independence Square in the capital, and they were peacefully protesting because they want to become part of the European Union," she said. "(Yanukovych) sent in the special force police and they beat them up. (Yanukovych's) point was he thought the people would get scared and wouldn't do anything. We have never had that in my country, we have never gotten beaten or anything. We were thinking my country is democratic but now we are seeing that it is not."
Bilyak said since Yanukovych refused to sign the European Union deal, more and more protesters have been flocking to the capital and the government has responded with an increased police and army presence. There have also been claims that Russia has sent police and military members to Ukraine to bolster the Yanukovych friendly forces.
"They beat people up and have already killed people," Bilyak said. "I really want to help people whohave gotten injured. There is one guy who was 18 years old and he is at the university because he wants to be in architecture. He was at Independence Square and the army threw (an explosive device), and he noticed that and he wanted to quickly pick it up and throw it away and it blew up in his hand. He needs a $6,000 operation to keep his hand."
Bilyak said there are a number of others who have been injured in the clashes and she is hopeful to raise some funds that would go towards those who need further medical treatment. She has also opened a fundraising account at Affinity Credit Union.
"I want the money to help those people because people in the Ukraine don't really have a whole lot of savings. They don't have money to pay for (medical treatment)."
Bilyak has purchased the blanket and will be setting up raffle boxes at Blackbeards, Boston Pizza, Eddies, Humpty's, the Black Grasshopper and the C-Store on Fourth Street. She plans to take all of the money raised and will likely forward it to a church group that will ensure it gets to those in need.
"I didn't know what I could do. My donation is not enough and I can't afford to give a whole lot, but I wanted to at least do something to help those people."
