Natallia Fediuk (35) came to Norway when her husband got a job here five years ago. She is a trained pedagogue and English teacher, but only now has she got a job that suits her education. – It is a very special situation. It is my task now to help the children, keep them safe and give them a good start here. Now she can also use her education, at the same time as she helps both the municipality and the Ukrainian children who have fled war and fear. – It means so much. I love working in kindergarten. And I think the kids feel safe with me. So I think I’m doing a good job. I’m in the right place, she says. Got leave – twice as happy LEAVE: Nataliia Fediuk has been given leave from her hotel job. Photo: Frode Meskau / NRK She and her husband came to Norway five years ago. They moved here because it was difficult to get a job in Ukraine. In Elverum, Nataliia Fediuk got a job as a cleaner in a hotel. When the war broke out, she registered in Elverum municipality and said that she could help when the refugees arrived, if needed. – Because I know Ukrainian and Russian. And the municipality made contact. They needed her in kindergarten. So now she has been given leave from her job as a cleaner. Her boss at the hotel said yes right away. – Then I was doubly happy. It is very important for me to be able to help the children from my home country, says Nataliia. WELCOME: Nataliia Fediuk is well received by the children Photo: Frode Meskau / NRK All the children in Solkroken have received her well. – They always ask: Nataliia, where are you, she laughs. Good to hear the mother tongue There are four Ukrainian children in Solkroken kindergarten right now. It is good for both them and their parents to be greeted by someone who speaks their mother tongue. – It means a lot for the care of the young people who come here. It also creates a sense of security for us in the staff group, that someone understands their reactions and can explain things along the way, says unit manager in the kindergarten, Hilde Marken. SECURITY: Unit manager Hilde Marken says Natalila creates security in the staff group. Photo: Frode Meskau / NRK She says it was clear that Nataliia fit in well from day one. – She sees every single one. She is a very warm and social person and obviously likes to take challenges head on, says Marken. KS: Ukrainians in Norway a great resource Department director in KS (municipal sector organization), Kristin Holm Jensen says the municipalities have a great need for people in several municipal services to give Ukrainian refugees a good offer. Lack of teachers and staff who speak Ukrainian is a challenge. – It is therefore very valuable that Ukrainians living in Norway show up in the work of giving the refugees a good offer, says Holm Jensen. Now Nataliia will work in the kindergarten through the summer. Unit manager Hilde Marken hopes she can also be there during the start-up after the holiday. THRIVES: Nataliia Fediuk thrives in kindergarten. Photo: Frode Meskau / NRK Wanted in both places Her employer at Thon Hotell in Elverum was never in doubt that she would be given leave to work in the kindergarten. – She received a request and happily came to us and asked for leave, and then it was a matter of course for us, says operations director Niklas Lindstrøm. OF COURSE: Hotel director Niklas Lindstrøm says it was a matter of course to give leave. Photo: Knut Røsrud / NRK Nataliia is wanted back to work at the hotel, but Lindstrøm says she must stay in the kindergarten for as long as she wants and is needed there. – We are all very affected by what is happening in Ukraine. It is a charity and a joint effort we are trying to make.
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Cleaner from Ukraine asked to work in kindergarten to help Ukrainian children – NRK Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
