Anastasiia Kalinichenko, an architect from Ukraine, recalls how surreal it was going into work after the war began.

“I was in the middle of working on a design, and trying to understand what was happening,” she recalled, adding her family could hear bombs from where they were living closer to the Russian border.

“We didn’t know what to do, we just kept going to work.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24.

At the time, Kalinichenko was working on designing large homes in mountainous areas from her office in Lviv, but soon it wasn’t safe there either, and she knew she needed to escape.

She applied for a Canadian visa and sent dozens of resumés across the country, including Toronto-based WZMH Architects, after hearing the firm was hiring Ukrainians. After a conversation with the head of the firm, she was brought on the team.

“I started to work right away … I was really inspired.”

Kalinichenko is now one of seven Ukrainians who have been hired at the firm since mid-May. And part of the team that’s now also helping to rebuild the country.

For Zenon Radewych, principal at WZMH Architects, the war hit close to home. He says both of his parents are from Ukraine, along with his wife.

“Right after the war started people were contacting me asking are there any opportunities for Ukrainians coming to Canada that have an architectural background to be employed at my firm,” he explained.

“Being Ukrainian and wanting to support Ukraine and the war effort I said yes, and it was kind of a first come first serve basis.”

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