Supporting the refugees fleeing for their lives
Who knows how this war will pan out but I for one couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
IN MY March column I wrote about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, At that time the invasion had been going on for two weeks.
A month later, many more innocent children and adults have been needlessly killed and towns and cities have been levelled to the ground.
And nobody can fathom what the motivation is behind the destruction and the senseless loss of innocent lives.
Loss of life on both sides. And there are no signs of the war coming to an end.
Approximately 4.3m Ukrainians, mostly women and children have fled their communities and sought sanctuary in neighbouring countries with Poland bearing the brunt of this unnecessary refugee crisis.
An estimated seven million people are displaced in Ukraine having moved from constant bombardment, fear and uncertainty to places of relative safety.
Who knows how this war will pan out but I for one couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
My wife Alex and I decided early on we would open our home to a Ukrainian family, but we weren’t sure how to go about it.
I emailed a friend to see if they knew any more details of how to go about being a host and as luck would have it our friend has close links with a family who live in Kyiv.
There are nine members of the extended family.
The day before the war started four younger family members in their 20s and 30s made it across the border into
Poland, leaving their parents and a grandparent behind in Kyiv.
The older generation either can’t easily evacuate because of ill health or frailty or they are determined to stay and defend their city.
The younger family members however were encouraged to leave and to look to make a new life in another part of Europe.
From showing an interest and then meeting up via Messenger, one thing has led to another, and we are now undergoing all the checks.
DBS, environmental health etc and completed visa applications and we are now waiting for a decision to host a couple in their 20s.
I’m not going to try and convince you the hosting application process has been quick and straightforward but a few forms and a bit of patience is nothing compared to what the Ukrainian people are going through.
I do want to thank Calder
Valley MP Craig Whittaker and Calderdale Council for supporting the process, which will hopefully speed up when the infrastructure is in place and people are well versed with what is required.
Last week Community Foundation staff took the opportunity to go down to Dean Clough and joined dozens of volunteers to support the Halifax Ukrainian Club relief effort, packing boxes of bedding, clothing, toiletries and food to go to the Polish border to support Ukrainian refugees fleeing for their lives.
What an incredible operation this is, and huge credit to everyone involved.
Hopefully when my next column is due Alex and I will have our new house guests with us and settling into the Yorkshire way of life!