A Ukrainian woman living in Peckham is offering free English lessons to her compatriots who have fled to the UK, to help them settle into their new lives.
Alisa Masokha-Jones, 33, originally from Kiev, has been teaching Lara, in her 50s, from Kiev, and will soon welcome two new students on board.
She said: “I don’t have enough space to take refugees in my own home and this was the next best thing I could do given my experience.
Alisa has a Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA), a highly-respected language teaching qualification, and has taught in Mexico and South Korea.
Of her new student, she said: “Lara is a fast learner, is very enthusiastic and has very good pronunciation. But she’s also very emotional and keeps stopping – telling me about the things she saw and heard.”
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Her two new students, who only arrived in the UK on Thursday 21 April, lived in Kiev but are originally from Donetsk and Crimea.
Alisa is offering the lessons every day alongside her work in admin for a financial company, squeezing teaching in during lunchtimes and after work.
She was inspired to help by the deep emotional impact the war has had on her and her family.
With her Mum, she has already sponsored friends and families arriving from Ukraine but sadly, her grandmother remains in Kiev.
Alisa said: “I can’t get my grandmother out so I’m just hoping for the best.
“I managed to get most of my friends out but my grandmother can’t move – physically or emotionally – so I’m just hoping the Russians don’t come back to Kiev.”
She was initially surprised by the little response her advert for the free language lessons garnered when she posted it on the community website, Next Door.
She believes this is partly because there simply aren’t enough Ukrainians in the country yet. She explained: “As we all know, the home office has been super ineffective when it comes to visa applications.”
As more Ukrainians arrive, she hopes to expand her classes. Currently teaching from her home, she expects she’ll have to find new premises eventually.
Ukrainian newcomers who want to get involved with the lessons should contact Alisa on: a.masokha-jones@hotmail.co.uk