A Falmouth woman is organizing friends and colleagues around the world to help people fleeing the war in Ukraine get jobs abroad that suit their skills.
From her home on Cape Cod, Moscow-born Julia Zagachin is networking with Russian-speakers — many of whom emigrated years ago from countries that were part of the Soviet Union — to create an online platform called Jobs Not War.
They’re helping not only Ukrainians, but also people from Russia and Belarus who oppose the war and risk arrest or conscription.
“As an immigrant myself, I can tell you that what immigrants want is they want to be independent,” she said. “They want agency. They want to work. They want to support their families.”
The all-volunteer group is doing things like helping to write resumes in the style appropriate for the destination country, including the U.S., Canada, Germany and Turkey.
One woman arriving in Germany had been a manager at a meatpacking plant, Zagachin said.
“I know nothing about the meatpacking industry, especially in Germany,” she said. “So what we have is our German colleagues are actually putting together her resume, which looks very different than a U.S. resume.”
She says they’ve helped about 50 people in one way or another, but the website is still in development.
When it’s ready, refugees and others seeking to relocate will use the web platform to connect with volunteers. Right now, Jobs Not War is spreading with word via a Facebook page.
