In the heart of Nowy Sacz, a town in the south of Poland, there is a “café with a petit soul”. This is how Olena, the owner, defines the SofiLen café.

Before the war broke out, Olena used to work as a chief specialist of the preschool department at the Education Administration in Kherson. However, has always dreamed of one day opening her own café.

When the war started, she decided to leave her hometown and found refuge in Poland, with her child. The journey to Poland was very dangerous. “When we were fleeing my hometown, it was a complete nightmare at the beginning. There was constant shelling and fighting. When fleeing, we ran over a grenade. I still wonder how it did not explode under us”, she recalls, and continues, “at that moment, my child cried and prayed “Our Father, who art in heaven”. I understood one thing: If we stay alive, it means I have not yet done what I am supposed to”.

At first, as soon as she arrived in Poland, Olena tried to find a job in her field. “I was looking for a job corresponding to my position in Ukraine. But I failed to find it. Who knows if I will regret it or be thankful”, as she describes.

Not knowing Polish was a barrier to finding a job, so she enrolled in Polish language courses offered by JRS Poland.

Through the One Proposal project, JRS Poland has supported people fleeing the war in Ukraine, offering Polish language courses and psychotherapy sessions, and facilitating the relationship between the refugee community and the local community, with the ultimate goal of enabling refugee people to stand on their own feet. This is what happened to Olena.

Her future changed with an unexpected offer. “Later, by chance, I received an offer to work in a café, and I accepted it because I had to work and make a living.” She worked in that café for a year, then, with the experience and skills acquired, and the support of her parents, she decided to open her own business.

“I now treat my café with my whole soul and organise everything here so that people feel cosy and comfortable. I like to welcome students, tourists, and businessmen with a positive atmosphere and tasty coffee,” she concludes.

*this story was originally published by JRS Europe.