ORLANDO, Fla. — A Central Florida woman felt compelled to help give Ukrainian kids fleeing their war-torn country an education — and it all started with a dream.

Elvira Varyvoda founded Varyvoda Christian Academy in Orlando’s Parramore community, which now has 13 Ukrainian students attending. 

She said the middle and high school-aged students have recently come from Ukraine, and most of them have lost one or both parents.

After the war first broke out, Varyvoda said she had a dream that drove her to open the school. In the dream, she said she was walking through the streets of Ukraine with a boy and a girl, and an angel was behind them.

“A boy and girl, and a big angel behind me, and I woke up and said, ‘Is this dream or is this true?’ So this is a dream and said this is a signal that came to me and this is something I have to do — I have to help,” said Varyvoda.

That prompted her to make some calls, and she eventually connected with Shiloh Baptist Church in Orlando, which worked with her to open the academy.

At a ceremony in August, Ukrainian students, family and other supporters celebrated the new school with music, fellowship and food. And while Varyvoda is financially supporting most of the costs of the new school, she’s hoping fundraising will allow her to enroll more Ukrainian children in the school.

School administrators say there are currently 60 students enrolled in the academy, including some from the international and local community, but they say they have room for over 100 students.

Sisters Uliana and Sacha Filonchuk are now attending the school after arriving in Orlando with their mother a few months ago. The girls lost their father in 2016 after a previous Russian conflict in Ukraine.

“I’m very grateful to be in this country because in Ukraine it’s a very dangerous time,” said Uliana.

“We can help our people, our children, to be here in this country. And they can be safe and give them new life and a new opportunity for them,” said Varyvoda.