Since the launch of the Uniting for Ukraine program, Home for Refugees has helped bring 14 families to the U.S. from Ukraine, and in December we had the pleasure of welcoming our first Ukrainian family to settle in California. You can read more about their story here in our most recent fundraising letter. Seeing the tiredness and anxiety on their faces when they walked out of the airport tunnel turn into smiles of joy and relief when they walked into their new temporary home in Huntington Beach was truly a heartwarming moment in a time when we can all use all the heartwarming moments we can get. And this family is only one of more than 100,000 Ukrainians who will come to the United States by the time the Uniting for Ukraine program ends.
Seeing the success of Uniting for Ukraine, the U.S. recently created a similar program for Venezuelans fleeing persecution and the fallout from the catastrophic policies of the Maduro-led government and the resulting economic collapse of the country. Since the Process for Venezuelans program was announced, Home for Refugees has been inundated with pleas for help—so many that we had to take our interest form offline temporarily due to the overwhelming response. And in fact, we are working right now to bring our first family from Venezuela to the U.S., a professor and his family who are currently being persecuted by the Venezuelan government.
At the same time, we are trying to help so many more families from all over the world find a new home here in the U.S., and we cannot do it without your help. Please consider partnering with us by becoming a sponsor, joining a home team, or donating generously to the cause. We need your participation and support more than ever so that we can continue to help more families like these.