01 Feb '23

Seeing the children smile

4151
door Nathalie Dirix
She did not hesitate for a second when the head of a primary school in Asse asked Mariia Toma if she would be willing to help provide assistance to the young Ukrainian refugees.

‘It makes me feel really happy every time I see the children smile.’ Mariia Toma left Ukraine in 2012, long before the war erupted. ‘I came to Belgium to visit a friend but I then enjoyed it so much here that I decided to stay.’ She is now hoping that her qualifications will be granted equal status, so that she can work here as a primary school teacher. Mariia is currently working in a residential care home in Asse.