Every Tuesday and Wednesday, about ten Ukrainian refugees gather in the Church of Sweden's parish home in Björna to learn Swedish.

Alona and her husband Yevhen also try to practice together at home with the help of online courses, but when it comes to grammar and pronunciation, the lessons in the parish home provide much more.

- Here we can spend time with someone who has Swedish as a mother tongue, as our teacher.

That kind of teaching is much better for us.

Second escape

When Russian troops entered Ukraine, Alona Herasko chose to flee her home in Donetsk with her family.

They ended up in Odessa but were soon forced to flee once again.

Now the whole family lives in an apartment in Björna outside Örnsköldsvik and here they try in their new everyday life to get into Swedish society.

In the future, she wants to get a job and then language is important.

- We were not at all prepared to have to learn Swedish, moreover at a fast pace.

The situation forces us to do so and you can say that we like to learn something new.

The children slip behind

At the same time, she worries about her three children's language development.

They are all waiting to start school but it takes time.

- The most important thing right now is that the children can start school.

They have missed so much already even though I teach them at home.

There is not much time left for studies now because it will soon be summer vacation, says Herasko.