A Scottish aid charity has begun an operation to help evacuate 2000 women and children from war torn Ukraine.
Glasgow The Caring City has returned from four days in Poland working with local partners to ensure funds generated by public and corporate donations help those who need it most.
Now life-saving medical equipment has reached hospitals in the Ukraine as the charity has begun bringing bus loads of refugees across the border to Poland.
Read more: Glasgow aid for Ukraine appeal is launched - how you can help
Ross Galbraith, Glasgow The Caring City Operations Director, travelled to the charity’s hub in Wroclaw, Poland, to work alongside local aid groups and coordinators.
The outcome means that almost £150,000 of funds raised by the charity’s emergency appeal, more than £100,000 via itison and its members, is now directly helping Ukrainian refugees.
This includes the charity securing 50,000+ full days of food provision - equating to two warm meals and one cold meal per day per person, plus a weekly welfare bag. Over the next eight weeks this will support the most vulnerable in Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Lviv in Ukraine, and in Wroslav, Poland – these meals are a direct result of the itison campaign.
The charity is funding the rescue of 2,000 refugees across the border – through the payment of buses to transport Ukrainian women and children and has agreed to send six trucks of targeted aid in total, with two already having reached their destination and four more.
Ross Galbraith, Glasgow The Caring City’s Operations Director, said: “Building sustainability and local leadership into this crisis response is what will secure the greatest impact for money and resources raised here in Scotland. I spent time working with colleagues both sides of the Ukrainian/Polish border to ensure aid is being utilised where it is most needed.
“Besides the alarming need for food and safe havens for refugees to reside, there is a desperate need to move people to safety. We have secured transport for the safe passage of up to 2,000 women and children to cross into Poland with the support of local aid charities. We are also working in Kyiv, Lviv & Vinnytsia to provide food to those besieged by this pointless conflict."
Mr Galbraith added: "What I’d ask Scots to think about is what comes after the initial outpourings of kindness. What do you do after you’ve made your initial donations of a bag of clothes to your local appeal? The truth is this; we urgently need money to resource and equip our partners to provide critical services to those in desperate need. This conflict is unforgiving and relentless. I met women and children with obvious mental and physical wounds who need help. So please do not let this crisis slip from your mind. It is on our doorstep and impacting not only today but in the weeks and months to come. I urge you; give something today and if you’ve given before, and can afford to do so, please give again."
The charity says ongoing donations will enable it to provide further targeted support - donations to the fundraising appeal can continue to be made here: justgiving.com/campaign/glasgow4ukraine
Glasgow The Caring City was founded in 1999 to help vulnerable people in crisis in Scotland and internationally. As well as individual donations, it will welcome corporate support and strategic partnerships. Organisations can get in touch by emailing: info@glasgowthecaringcity.com.com
And The Herald is also playing its part. Dozens of our news titles run by Newsquest across the UK are joining forces to convey a simple message – let’s give what we can and do what we can do.
Newsquest is pledging to donate 5p of every daily newspaper sold on Thursday March, 17 to the Red Cross DEC Ukraine Humanitarian appeal, which is dedicated to helping and saving those affected by this horrific and bloody war.
To accompany our pledge to donate to the Red Cross appeal today, we’ve launched a JustGiving page. We are joining forces with a single appeal across all our news titles, allowing readers to contribute to this worthwhile cause if they want to join us in doing what we can to help.
Meanwhile, Glasgow-based restaurant chain Black Rooster Peri Peri is donating funds from every meal sold over the next two weeks to support people affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
They hope to raise at least £20,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine humanitarian appeal, which is providing immediate relief for Ukrainian refugees. At least three million people have fled their homes in Ukraine and it is anticipated that up to 18 million will be impacted by the conflict.
Black Rooster, which has 17 branches across the UK, is donating £1.40 from every meal upgrade sold to sit-in and collection customers between Monday 14 March and Monday 28 March inclusive.
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