“Democracy Must Be Fought For” - How Queer Support Helped Alina Rebuild in Germany

Pictured: Alina's shadow in front of German irises.

Prior to February 24, 2022, Alina*, a bisexual refugee from Kyiv, spent her days working as a graphic designer, caring for her mother, going to the gym, and spending time with friends.

“It was an amazing life, especially now when I look back,” Alina shared. “You always complain about something, but then later you realize — no, it actually was a perfect life.”

Everything changed after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Alina fled Ukraine with her mother and two cats, eventually arriving in a small German town between Frankfurt and Heidelberg. There, they were taken in by a German family — a gay couple who opened their home to them during the earliest and most uncertain weeks of displacement.

Alina’s sister lived nearby and worked at a local coffee shop. A man named Peter noticed a Ukrainian flag outside the shop and asked if they supported Ukraine.

“He asked my sister how he could help,” Alina recalled. “She explained that I was coming with my mom. He happened to be a nurse and loves older people.”

Alina, her mother, and their cats moved in with Peter and his husband shortly afterward.

“They trusted us with everything,” she said.

What was initially supposed to be a short stay turned into three months.

“For me, it was interesting how people from the gay community stepped up first,” Alina reflected.

“I understand that it was Peter’s personal qualities, but I also think there’s an understanding of how hard life can be.”

As time passed, Alina began facing a different challenge: rebuilding her professional life.

In Ukraine, she had worked as a graphic designer for more than 20 years. But in Germany, she struggled to find opportunities that matched her background and experience. “I didn’t lose my professional skills,” she said. 

At the same time, she was navigating loneliness, language barriers, and Germany’s overwhelming bureaucracy.

Alina first learned about ORAM through Instagram. Shortly after reaching out, she heard back from ORAM’s Germany Program Manager, Oliver Dougherty.

“In Germany, you write letters and sometimes wait two weeks for an answer — or never hear back,” Alina said. “With ORAM, I got a response the next day.”

Through ORAM’s economic empowerment initiative for queer women, trans, and gender diverse refugees from Ukraine, Alina attended a professional development seminar and later enrolled in an introductory UX/UI (user experience and interface) design course.

“It was a three-hour course,” she shared. “Afterward, I decided to study UX/UI design for four months.”

Alina was also paired with a German mentor through ORAM’s mentorship program. As she continued searching for design work, Oliver reached out to ask if she would be interested in designing marketing materials for ORAM’s Germany programming.

For Alina, the opportunity meant more than freelance work.

“I almost felt like it was my responsibility,” she said. “I would have done it for free. But it was very nice that ORAM paid me.”

Today, Alina continues to search for long-term work in Germany while navigating uncertainty about the future. But through it all, she remains deeply connected to the broader struggle facing Ukrainians displaced by war.

“Democracy needs to be fought for,” she said. “It shouldn’t be taken for granted. Ukrainians are actively fighting for it.”

She hopes people around the world continue supporting Ukrainians forced to flee their homes — not only because of the war itself, but because of what is at stake.

“If a person believes democracy and dignity are important,” Alina shared, “then they should support Ukraine.”

*Name changed for privacy and safety reasons.