Anna Lebid, a Ukrainian refugee who fled to Sweden four years ago, has been awarded the prestigious Årets Gregorius (Gregorius of the Year) award in Östersund. According to SVT Jämtlandsnytt, Lebid received the honor during the Gregoriemarknaden on Friday for her exceptional work helping Ukrainians in Jämtland find employment and building bridges between communities.
The award, now in its 35th year, is presented by Destination Östersund in collaboration with Jamtli and Östersundsposten. Lebid, who originally came from Ukraine, has been recognized for her dual efforts through her work with Östersund municipality and her voluntary engagement with the Ukrainian association in Jämtland.
the finest city to live in
The jury's motivation highlighted that through her work, Lebid has created meeting places where people from different backgrounds can connect, learn from each other, and feel a sense of belonging. According to Östersunds-Posten, Lebid fled Ukraine with only a backpack containing travel documents, some changes of clothes, and diapers for her son. She now describes Östersund as "the finest city to live in."
Lebid, who speaks six languages and is a trained primary and secondary school teacher in English among other subjects, has used her language skills to help other newcomers with everything from opening bank accounts to dealing with authorities.