Tamara came to Prague in February 2022 with her two daughters, her husband staying behind in Kyiv. In Ukraine, she worked as a speech therapist for many years and had a network of her own speech development centers for children with disabilities.

This year's changes in Czech legislation gave Ukrainian specialists in the field of speech therapy the opportunity to work in their specialty. So, Tamara nostrified her diploma and opened her own office, where she helps Ukrainian and Czech children to start or correct their speech. Thanks to the Czech language courses and conversation clubs that Tamara regularly attends, her Czech language level is now high enough, to easily allow her to find a common language with Czech children and their parents. "I didn't even expect that I would be able to work as a speech therapist in the Czech Republic, but the demand for services is really very high," says Tamara.

Tamara also works as an intercultural worker in the DOMA project at the non-profit organization Diakonia, which this year opened a playroom for Ukrainian children with disabilities.

"Now I work 2 jobs, like a real European," she jokes, "because I have to somehow survive, feed my two daughters and pay bills and taxes. But, despite the busy schedule, I am happy that I can do what I love."