Like millions of Ukrainians who suddenly found themselves in other parts of the world, Nataliia Selivánova and her school-age son fled Ukraine shortly after Russia invaded.
Following an attack on their hometown of Brovary, outside Kyiv, Selivánova and her child eventually reached Lahti, Finland in March.
Then she began volunteering at the city's Ukrainian relief centre, where she met Sirpa Kilpeläinen, an entrepreneur from the staffing company Eezy.
Kilpeläinen was looking for someone to help other newly-arrived Ukrainians find work in the Häme region.
A graduate of Kyiv University, Selivánova worked a white collar job at a major construction company in Ukraine. At Eezy, she now works as a human resources assistant.
Selivánova said she talks with Ukrainians about their job prospects and choices, assists them with creating CVs in English and helps them understand the ins and outs of working in Finland.
Finland decided more than two weeks ago to give temporary protection visa applicants from Ukraine the opportunity to start working as soon as they find jobs.
Kilpeläinen said dozens of employers have contacted her office over the past couple of weeks who were looking to hire, despite language barriers.
40 employers seek workers
"In the Lahti area, there are full-time jobs available in the food industry, metals industry as well as the water bottling plant," Kilpeläinen explained, adding that she thinks around 100 Ukrainians will likely land jobs before the summer.
There are around 2,000 people who have fled the war in Ukraine currently living in the region of Häme, half of whom are working age, and the majority of them are women.
Last week, it was reported that more than 19,000 Ukrainians had applied for international protection in Finland since the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February.
There are about 40 companies looking to hire the new arrivals in the region, according to Eija Mannisenmäki, the head of Häme's TE employment office.
She said that recruitment firms like Eezy can help employers and job seekers, saying the employment outfits commonly find work for various periods of time.
"Even a short-term job can serve as a gateway towards a longer-term employment relationship," she explained.
The thoughts of Ukrainians who abruptly arrived to Finland commonly turn to their eventual return home, according to Selivánova, who said she plans continue to work in Lahti for the time being.
"The goal is to find work for as many people as possible. Us Ukrainian people must be gracious to each other and grateful to Finland, which is helping us," she said.
