Rotaract Europe supporting Ukraine

domenica 13 marzo 2022 23:00, Ukraine
Organizzatore/i:
  • Michele Serra

Zurich, the 2nd of March 2022

The crisis go on and so our efforts to help where most needed.

The countries bordering Ukraine are engaged in direct humanitarian aid. What we can help from afar with are medical supplies for the cities of Kyiv and Lviv. A supply list for Lviv can be found here: https://bit.ly/3hiVNFO. The list for Kyiv is being created.

We split into two groups:

  1. Belgiumthe NetherlandsDenmark and Poland will collect medical supplies locally and send them to Warsaw. In Warsaw, the former District Representative of Poland will organise delivery to the borders. At the border, members of Rotaract Lviv will take care of delivery to Lviv's hospitals.
  2. SwitzerlandGermanyAustria and Italy will collect medical supplies locally and send them to Vienna. Here, Ms. Christiane Leitner, President of MDIO Rotaract Europe, will coordinate the delivery to the border. We have already organised a contact for collection at the border and delivery to Kyiv.

I ask you to spread the word about this campaign to as many Rotarians and Rotaractors as possible and take contact with your local CR. The list for Kyiv will be very similar to that for Lviv. This is how we can specifically help now and the logistics have been fully secured by Rotaract EuropeThe Ukrainian Embassy in Switzerland has been informed about these efforts.

The Rotary Club of Genève International gave an example incredible support with a fundraising of 10000.- CHF which is on its way to the Rotary Club of Falticeni, Romania with two brave Rotarians. They will provide hands-on help locally and distribute the resources where needed.

The Rotaract Club of Basel is organising the collection of first necessity goods and their shipment to Poland. This delivery will be coordinated together with Marta Jagoda, CR of Poland. Furthermore, Poland is as before engaged with direct humanitarian aids. If anyone prefers to provide monetary help, Marta suggests to do online grocery in Polish shops and let the food be delivered to the households where refugees are hosted. If you want to help on this side, please fill the form below. You will be contacted.

More and more people fill the accommodation form, but have not been contacted yet. the reason for it is that it is not easy, psychologically, to leave your country behind. In this sense, Moldova is organising together with the United Nation HCR psychological counselling and training for helpers. It will still takes some days before we may welcome our friends. Or, hopefully, in few days, this will not be necessary at all.

Regarding the Zurich universities, ETHZ, UZH, and ZHAW are all ready to host Ukrainian refugees as guest students. A meeting will take place today to discuss the form of the offer. My contact will be provided on the ETHZ website as contact person for the organisation with Rotaract. The Academic Sport Association of Zurich is also ready to offer a space of leisure.

Yours in hope,

Michele Serra

Country Representative and Head of International Affairs

Zurich, the 1st of March 2022

On the 28th of February 2022, 28 Country Representatives of the MDIO Rotaract Europe met to discuss the current Ukrainian crisis, share informations from the borders, and centralise the aid efforts currently in place. Mrs. Dasha Shevtsova, CR of Ukraine, and Mrs. Iryna Bushmina, DRR of D2232, joined the meeting and reported on the current situation of Ukraine and our fellow Rotaractors and Rotarians.

Rotaractors of HungaryMoldovaPolandRomania, and Slovakia are doing tremendous efforts supporting people crossing the border to have food and an accommodation. Their need of money is at the moment limited, and they have enough resources for the time being. The situation could however change quickly in ways that we cannot yet foresee. 

Rotarian Mrs. Tetyan Prylipko, Committee Member of the District 2232, is still coordinating humanitarian aid at the Lviv hospitals, which are hosting thousands of civilians from other Ukrainian cities. All medical equipment and medications that are needed are listed here: https://bit.ly/3hiVNFO. To provide support here, a joint action of AustriaBelgiumItaly, and Switzerland is in place for provision of medical supplies. Once the supplies are collected locally, we will organise a joint delivery to the Ukrainian border and the collection on the other site by Ukrainian Rotarians.

As regards fund-raising, a centralised campaign is currently in place on GoFundMe (https://gofund.me/05876825). Money is being collected, but no specifics on how it will be located are provided because it is still unclear where it will be needed the most in the next days.

Switzerland is also organising itself to host Ukrainian Rotaractors and Rotarians. More support for accommodation is needed from the clubs of Zurich. At the moment, only one long-term and one short-term accommodations are available. Strategically, Zurich would be at the moment the optimal choice for hosting our fellows. The University of Zurich and the ZHAW are offering pro bono a guest student status for Bachelor, Master and PhD students, but also fundings for junior and senior researchers to continue their academic work. The ÖBB allows Ukrainian to travel through their entire transportation network for free. The same is true for Hungarian transportations, Therefore, Ukrainian can easily arrive to Zurich in one day of travel.

For the purpose of accommodation, a form has been opened: https://forms.gle/ooZs5Psp9aKM9e678. Please, fill out this form indicating exactly the period of time which you would be ready to host a fellow Rotaractor for. The information will be managed centrally to distribute evenly all those in need. Also provide the same information on the form below, so that the CRSL board can know where internal support and communication with the authorities is needed the most.

Rotaract Europe has also established a central communication channel with daily updates on its main website. Here you can find regular updates and efforts country by country. This communication channel will offer everyone the possibility to help according to the own specific situation and possibilities. Find out more at the following link: https://rotaracteurope.eu/united-for-peace/.

Finally, an overview of the overall situation is in place to evaluate an action of Rotaract Europe also in support of the general population.

Yours in hope,

Michele Serra

Country Representative and Head of International Affairs

Zurich, the 27th of February 2022

Rotaract Europe has established a communication channel with daily updates on its main website. Here you can find regular updates and efforts country by country. This communication channel will offer everyone the possibility to help according to the own specific situation and possibilities.

Find out more at the following link: https://rotaracteurope.eu/united-for-peace/.

Zurich, the 26th of February 2022

Dear Fellow Rotaractors, Dear Fellow Rotarians, Dear Friends,

With our means, we can in no way replace governmental actions. However, there is something that we could help our fellow Rotaractors and Rotarians with: an accommodation. Many of them are already standing at the Western borders without knowing where to go.

Mrs. Iryna Bushmina, DRR of D2232 (Ukraine and Belarus) is coordinating the organisation for the accommodations of Ukrainian Rotaractors together with the MDIO Rotaract Europe, of which we are members. For this purpose, a form has been opened: https://forms.gle/ooZs5Psp9aKM9e678. Please, fill out this form indicating exactly the period of time which you would be ready to host a fellow Rotaractor for. The information will be managed centrally to distribute evenly all those in need.

Rotarian Mrs. Tetyan Prylipko, Committee Member of the District 2232, is coordinating humanitarian aid at the Lviv hospitals, which are getting ready to host thousands of civilians from other Ukrainian cities. All medical equipment and medications that are needed are listed here: https://bit.ly/3hiVNFO. If you are in contact with anyone that could provide such materials, any intention of support must be communicated in this form: https://bit.ly/3t7kOsT. I already took contact with the University Hospital Zurich. Mrs. Prylipko will coordinate this organisation with the warehouse in Przemyśl. 

Furthermore, I opened on the CRSL website the form below where to provide the same information requested in the other forms and where to share ideas and ongoing projects. I am amazed by the rapidity which everyone is trying to help. It is nonetheless important to stay united in these efforts in order to be as efficient as possible. Efforts need to be clearly communicated. Especially now, no effort can go unseen.

Yours with hope,

Michele Serra

Country Representative and Head of International Affairs


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