Sibanengi Dube
Sunshine Heights Junior Soccer Club has given a soft landing pad to two young Ukrainian girls who fled their war-torn country to seek refuge in Australia.
The twins’ involvement in sports is helping them to assimilate fast in their new community.
Although the 11 year old girls’s low English language literacy level is slowing down learning at their new school, but the same cannot be said about their performance in the soccer pitch.
The grade five twins, Anhelina and Viktonian Synytsia are staying in Brimbank with their mother Martha and attending school at Mother of God Primary School in Ardeer.
Club coach Andrew Makohon said the girls found a home in his club where their integration into the community is going faster through soccer.
To add on to their comfort, the club provided them with soccer sponsorship, which includes uniforms, registrations, training and match fees.
“Sporting is a wonderful unifier that doesn’t segregate. Their mother tells me that they girls are excited about going to play soccer,” said Makohon.
Added the coach: They are able to connect with other kids and run around in the soccer field enjoying fresh air.”
Makohon said soccer was taking away trauma from the girls who ducked and dived from missiles when Russia invaded of their country on 24 February 2022.
“You can just imagine what they went through including the infinite family separations and their father is still in Ukraine because men are not allowed to leave the country,” said Makohon.
Australia is a preferred destination for Ukrainians running away from the raging war at home, where Russia is militarily attempting to annex Ukraine. Brimbank suburbs, Sunshine and Ardeer are homes to more than 20 000 Ukrainians.
