Name: Marianna Nkiavette NanCountry of origin: Angola
In Ukraine since 1992
Profession: designer and decorator
Residence city: Odesa
— Being a refugee is not an illness, but rather a circumstance to overcome. In order to cope with a particular situation better, you simply need to change your attitude to it. You need to turn over this page of your life and start all over. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes you are reluctant to do it. However, once seeing the result, you realize that it was worth the effort. I know it from my own experience.
Marianna, a refugee from Angola, is a designer and decorator. In 1992 the civil war forced her to leave Angola and apply for a refugee status in Ukraine, which she was granted in 2000. After coming to Ukraine, Marianna has worked in a street market for three years. At some point she started buying stitching sketches and cross-stitched when she had a free minute. Soon she came up with an idea to study interior design at a university, but her friend, a teacher at the institute of design, promised to teach her. Thus, she continued working at the market and started learning at weekends. Taking a great interest in decorative elements of interior design, she realized that it was her vocation. She progressed gradually, starting from participation in small exhibitions, and now Marianna works at the studio-shop Art-Nuvo. She is glad that she was able to convert her hobby into something grander and she really enjoys what she’s doing.
Recently, Marianna has been accepted to the Open International University of Human Development Ukraine, Department of International Information. She wants to receive a higher education and launch her own business. Marianna hopes this will provide her with more opportunities to promote peace in the world in future and work in humanitarian field on an international level.