#11 - Relying on kindness of strangers when fleeing the war in Ukraine with Vlad

#11 - Relying on kindness of strangers when fleeing the war in Ukraine with Vlad

From Curious Chats & Kind Acts by Acts

January 16, 2026 · 1h 31m · Season 2 · Episode 14

About this episode

Vlad shares his journey of fleeing Ukraine and the kindness he encountered along the way, culminating in his new life running a cafe in the UK.

I’m chatting to Vlad today, he shares a bit about his life growing up in Ukraine, falling in love with the lovely Albina, then wham, he has to make the impossible decision of should they flee from their country. He does, and what a journey, having to rely on the kindness of strangers all along the way. He chats about his 3 month stay in France, living on food vouchers, not speaking the language, trying to understand a complex system. We also chat about a Facebook post leading to them creating a home in the UK. Vlad has a strong work ethic, and it has been so hard for him to not be able to contribute. He now runs an amazing little cafe called High Coffee in Chester, which is where I met him. He has worked so hard to make it a success, and is now building a community with other refugees on their own crazy journey to help them feel supported. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

People in this episode

Host: Acts

Guest: Vlad

Topics covered

  • kindness of strangers
  • refugee experience
  • war in Ukraine
  • community building
  • cafe entrepreneurship

Keywords

  • Ukraine
  • refugees
  • kindness
  • cafe
  • community
  • France
  • UK
  • war

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: High Coffee

Places: Ukraine, France, UK, Chester

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