Pictured: An ORAM apartment in Berlin, Germany, where Momo and Zain, two queer third country nationals for Ukraine, currently live.
Momo and Zain both moved to Ukraine to further their education in 2019. For Zain, a gay man from India, life in Ukraine was very different from the life he was used to.
“Moving to Ukraine was my first experience in a European country. Ukraine is very different from India, especially the weather. Ukraine gets extremely cold in the winter, really, cold. This was one of my concerns,” Zain told ORAM.
Zain studied computer science and Momo, a queer man from Morocco, studied international business. Both men were able to build a community quickly in Ukraine.
“It didn’t take long to call Ukraine my second home. I was really enjoying my studies and doing good in school. Most people in Ukraine don’t speak English, but they went out of their way to help me. They didn’t make me feel like an outsider,” Zain said.
Neither of them believed they would be forced to flee Ukraine as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “I was not thinking I was going to leave Ukraine until the war started,” Momo shared with us. “I was [awake until] 4:00 am. Then I went to sleep. At 10:00 am my friends were calling me. They said ‘there is a war,’” he remembered.
For Zain, he immediately sought shelter in the basement of his dormitory, which acted as a de facto bomb shelter. “By each passing hour, we could feel the situation was getting more and more intense. The frequency of the raid alert sirens were [increasing]. They were going on all the time. Six days went by and we thought the best thing was to wait for help,” he said.
When Momo woke up, he struggled to find food and other supplies. He and three friends jumped into his car and headed to Poland. During the night, Momo’s car was shot at, killing his friend instantly. He had to leave his belongings and car behind.
Zain decided to leave the dormitory after the fifth day, when a large Russian rocket hit directly outside the building. It didn’t explode but penetrated the street. “If I did not have my friends, I wouldn’t have been able to keep going. The city had taken a big hit, a lot of rockets hitting buildings and many burned cars,” he remembers from fleeing Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.
After harrowing journeys, both Momo and Zain were finally able to leave Ukraine. Zain crossed the border into Slovakia and Momo into Poland. Momo faced terrible discrimination at the Polish border.
“There was a lot of racism at the border. We stayed there for ten days. They didn’t let us in. I was afraid because [of] violence if you are queer,” Momo said.
Pictured: Momo in Bavaria.
Momo and Zain later met through a German organization, Bridges over Borders, one of the few organizations supporting LGBTIQ third country nationals fleeing Ukraine.
“There are not a lot of organizations that help third country nationals. Bridges over Borders were helping us with papers, but they can’t give you a place to live,” Momo shared.
Bridges over Borders told Momo about ORAM’s longer-term housing program, through which the organization provides up to six months of free housing for LGBTIQ people fleeing Ukraine. He met with ORAM’s Ukraine Program Manager, Camille Ogoti, and the next day he visited the apartment he and Zain would move into.
ORAM’s support was needed for Momo to help him get back on his feet. “I was paying for everything myself. I was borrowing from friends to pay rent. It’s super nice of ORAM, so I can take care of my debts and everything,” he said.
Zain and Momo moved into the apartment in June. “It’s a beautiful apartment with a ton of sunlight, which is rare in Berlin,” Zain said.
Momo lit up when telling ORAM how convenient the apartment is for his commute to work. “To be honest, I would love to stay in Berlin,” Momo said when asked about his future. The roommates enjoy living together and watching movies together when their schedules align.
After escaping incredibly dangerous situations, Momo and Zain want those remaining in Ukraine to stay safe. “I don’t know if they want to go to another country or stay in Ukraine, but they should protect themselves. Live your life because you never know what can happen tomorrow,” Momo said.
Thank you to Momo and Zain for sharing their stories with us. Donate today to help ORAM provide longer-term housing to more LGBTIQ people fleeing Ukraine.