The Sunflower Series

From the Blackwater Ukrainian Solidarity Group

In times past the term ‘it’s a fluid situation’ has been much over-used when describing certain challenges facing the state and local communities.

Now in early April, 2022 communities like ours are very much in that space as are the thousands of Ukrainian people who find themselves sharing our island.

It’s clear at national level the strategy to find accommodation for Ukrainian families, most arriving with very little, is evolving on a daily basis.

It’s a massive challenge for the state and those knitting the strategies together have never dealt with a task of such proportions.

And while national policy is evolving there has been little, if any, real national strategy for local communities.

In Fermoy, Mitchelstown, Clondulane and surrounding areas Ukrainian people have been arriving in recent weeks. Some through the help of organisations other than the Red Cross, which has been tasked by the Government with implementing the official distribution plan, while others are coming to family members, friends or to people they know of.

Its still unclear how many Ukrainian people have arrived in the Blackwater area but the numbers, we believe, are in the dozens at the moment.

So many traumatised and at a loss to fully comprehend the inhumanity they left behind.

Children are enrolling in schools and in an ad hoc way people and organisations have been doing what they can to help.

It was against this somewhat chaotic backdrop that the Blackwater Ukrainian Solidarity Group came together understanding that we can only control what we can control.

Our aims are to help people settle in our community, to provide them with both national and local information and work hand-in-hand with our Ukrainian community to ensure people are made aware of their entitlements and crucially how organisations locally can help.

To establish a base in Fermoy to serve surrounding areas where people can come and find out what they need while also having a place to sit, have a coffee and be together.

To find out about local job opportunities or to find out how they can get specific help.

While we cannot assist with hosting or housing issues, since we have no experience, expertise, authority or remit in this area, we can provide other supports.

Its our aim to have both a Ukrainian-speaker and also a local volunteer on hand at all times during our opening hours.

To start with we’re delighted to announce that our base will be in the Youth Centre in Fermoy and we are so very grateful to the Fermoy Forum who will work with us to allow us use space there. Our aim is to be up and running in mid-April.

Also, the Fermoy Scout Group are allowing us to use their premises in the town when we need and there is scope to hold weekend events there with children, parents and much more in the weeks and months ahead.

The Sanctuary Runners will launch in Fermoy this Saturday in St Colman’s Pitch – gathering at 10am. More on that next week.

We have established a ‘ Blackwater Ukraine Solidarity Group’ on the Uplift site. You can find us at uplift.ie. This site will allow us to have a moderated discussion board where contact details are protected, to provide both national and local resources online and also to arrange events in the local community.

This system will be invaluable when we establish our base in Fermoy in the coming weeks.

A crowd of almost 100 people attended our public meeting in Fermoy last week including a number of Ukrainian families who had just moved to the area. And we learned a lot – including of the need to ensure Ukrainian translation is available at all times – especially in these early days.

The coming weeks are likely to be frenetic and agility will be required by all in our community as we seek to find sustainable and respectful ways to bring everyone together to help those fleeing conflict in the Ukraine while also helping others in need too.

Will it be easy? – no. Are there amazing opportunities for our community if we get this right? Of course. For now, we just need to plot our path ahead with compassion, decency and strategy. It’s a fluid situation.

(These articles will be translated into Ukrainian and shared on our uplift site each week)

If you would like to volunteer with the Blackwater Ukrainian Solidarity Group please contact us at: BlackwaterUkraine2022@gmail.com