John Broadwater, an American English teacher based in Maryland, had been teaching five-year-old, Milan in Kyiv via live online platform Outschool. When Russia began its war against Ukraine, and John learned the family was spending its nights sheltering in the subway, he felt he had to do something to help. His solution was to start a GoFundMe page for the family, raising enough to help them escape.
Milan’s mother, Julia, managed to leave the country with the boy and his younger brother, first to Romania and then on to Denmark, where she has a friend. Milan’s father has had to stay behind in Ukraine. John is in contact with the family every day and so far has raised almost $5,000 to support them as they get settled.