Two UK charities which support vulnerable communities in Eastern Europe have launched a joint emergency appeal to raise funds which will be sent directly to project managers who are working on the ground to help refugees.
Due to the crisis unfolding in Ukraine, Link to Hope and Door of Hope urgently need funds so their project managers can provide immediate help and support to the growing number of refugees not only in Ukraine, but in Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria too.
You can donate to the appeal at the Donate to Ukraine – Link to Hope campaign page.
The huge humanitarian crisis that is unfolding means that every area of both charities’ work is being impacted. Project leaders in Moldova are already setting up beds for the refugees that are crossing the border from the Ukraine, trying to access the safety of Europe. Romanian project leaders are trying to put up refugee families in peoples houses. Funds for food, bedding, clothes, toiletries, counselling and medical aid are needed urgently.
Lisa Hector, General Manager of Link to Hope, said:
“We are deeply disturbed by texts and emails we are receiving from the East of Ukraine where other project managers are stuck and have no means of escaping the situation. They are now turning towards helping others in need and making the maximum use of what they have. Last year, a camp was sponsored in the summer for children and those mattresses are now going to be used for refugees to sleep on. There are millions of people on the move.”
Link to Hope and Door of Hope have both worked in Ukraine for many years. They support a number of education and social care projects in all the major regions of Ukraine. Currently, some of the project managers have had to flee and have managed to cross borders into Poland and Romania. But several project managers are staying put, including Lludmilla in Kviv who looks after children and adults with cerebral palsy. In normal circumstances she would visit up to 500 families in the tall tenement blocks that we are now seeing on TV, with food and supplies. At the moment she is trying to shelter with others in the basement of those flats while continuing to offer support to those families.
Another issue is with the amount of refugees that are flooding into countries such as Romania and Moldova. Link to Hope has built several community centres over the years in Moldova that are now housing people fleeing from the conflict. For those refugees who want to get to Romania, Link to Hope’s contacts are picking them up in their cars and driving them across Moldova in order for them to escape to Romania. Authorities in Moldova are acutely aware that they could be the next country to be invaded.
Find out more about the work of Link to Hope at: linktohope.co.uk, and about Door of Hope at: doorofhope.co.uk.
Photo: Link to Hope
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