Our one-stop Express welcome for refugees
BORIS Johnson has joined major charities and politicians in applauding the launch of the Ukrainians In The UK website brought to you by the Daily Express today.
The online resource is designed as a “one-stop shop” offering essential advice and information for Ukrainian refugees arriving here and for the British families hosting them.
There is help in finding school places, employment and healthcare, and details of a host of charities offering support.
The Prime Minister recorded an exclusive video to help launch the site, which has gone live today at www.express.co.uk/ukraine.
He thanked the Daily Express and addressed Ukrainians who have recently arrived in the UK. He said: “I just wanted to offer my sincerest, heartiest welcome to our Ukrainian friends and say it’s fantastic to have you here in the United Kingdom. I hope
this website will help you with vital information about housing, education, employment and many other things including the mysteries of British culture.
“We are doing everything we can to help Ukraine’s struggle for freedom and we’re delighted to offer our Ukrainian friends a place of safety here in our country. I’m grateful to the Daily Express, a great, historic British newspaper, for hosting this website and I hope you’ll find it useful as you settle in and make the most of your life in the United Kingdom. Thank you and Slava Ukraini [Glory to Ukraine].”
The online hub will be in English with a Ukrainian translation facility.
It features a Facebook group where Ukrainians in the UK can safely meet online and exchange stories and information to help each other feel more at home. They can also sign up for a weekly emailed newsletter.
The PM was immediately joined in his support by some of the major charities working to help the refugees here.
Save the Children UK is preparing to help with specialist advice and activities as families begin to arrive in greater numbers.
Executive director Kirsty McNeil said: “Over the course of a month, the conflict in Ukraine has caused the fastest and largest displacement of people in Europe sinceWorld War II. Many people arriving into the UK are
feeling exhausted, isolated and bereft. At a time of vulnerability, it’s vital that those in need have access to legitimate information.”
Dan Paskins, the charity’s director of UK impact, added: “The more high-quality information there is available the more this will be a success for everyone.
Lead
“That’s where the work that the Express is doing is exactly what’s needed, and it is great to see the Express taking the lead in making it happen.”
Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said: “In the coming weeks both Ukrainian refugees and their UK hosts will need help and will have many questions they need answers to.
“This website aims to be a helpful source of advice and information and should be a useful resource to both groups.”
It was also welcomed by two Ukrainian MPs fighting to free their country. Kyivsionals based Inna Sovsun, who served as Ukraine’s deputy minister of Education and Science from 2014 to 2016, said: “The Daily Express website is very useful because we all understand how difficult it can be in a new country for people who, because of the war, have been forced to leave their whole lives behind and leave without any preparation.
“In the most difficult times for the Ukrainian people your help is incredibly valuable. So, on behalf of all the Ukrainian people, thank you!”
Lesia Vasylenko, 34, a mum of three who has vowed to fight
Russian soldiers with her AK47 if necessary, offered instant and enthusiastic support.
The former corporate and human rights lawyer said: “I think it is a brilliant idea. From the Ukrainian side the No1 question is what do I do with the kids – who will help me to set them up in school?
“If there’s one resource that will help them to do that it would be amazing. It would also be great for people to have a confirmed resource of potential sponsors in the UK. “People have issues about where to find genuine sponsors and whether they are verified or not. “The third question that people ask is about healthcare once they arrive in the UK. A lot of the Ukrainians who are moving out are qualified doctors and psychologists. It would be great to somehow find Ukrainians who are certified medical profes
to speak to Ukrainians and treat them in their own language.”
MPs including Tom Tugendhat, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis, David Jones, Damian Green and Alun Cairns all threw their support behind the website.
Mr Tugendhat, who is chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “From healthcare to education, Ukrainians will need help getting the support we want to give so I’m grateful the Express has set up this website.
“They’re being the guide to our nation that our friends need.”
Daily Express columnist and former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe said: “Obviously anybody who comes here from Ukraine has suddenly been put down in a strange country.
“They will have no experience of our systems at all and they will be suffering as a result of losing relatives or whatever it might be. And so anything that makes their life simpler is to be welcomed.”