More than 2 million refugees have fled Ukraine and are now seeking to restart their lives with their families in different countries all over Europe. The Russia invasion of Ukraine and the shelling of civilians violates human rights and the independence of Ukraine.
Cabrini University is doing its part to support and help feed families displaced by the war.
Students and faculty are helping through their affiliation with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), one of the leading relief agencies assisting in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and more that has been in the Eastern European region for 75 years. CRS provides refugees with food, water, medical and emotional support and shelter, without regard to religion or race. It serves all people based on their need.
Cabrini has a CRS student ambassador chapter. These ambassadors raise awareness on global humanitarian issues, such as refugees, human trafficking, global hunger and others. Cabrini was the first school to sign a partnership agreement with CRS, along with four other schools (University of Notre Dame, Santa Clara University, Seattle University, and Villanova University). Dozens of more universities have followed Cabrini’s lead.
What CRS is doing to help
CRS has a large response to the more than 2.9 million refugees and displaced people in need of assistance from Ukraine.
One of the ways CRS is helping is with food assistance is by establishing kitchens in the areas refugees have gathered to provide safe and nutritious meals.
The organization is providing reception services with its partner organization, Caritas, at offices, train stations and other locations. These services are helping to supply people with clothing, information, referrals, food, water, hygiene items and counseling services.
Another way that CRS is assisting with the transportation of families is by getting them to extended family, friends or to local social services. One of these local services may be evacuation centers. These centers aid with providing shelter, food and counseling services to displaced individuals. CRS has been providing assistance to Ukraine since the first implications of conflict in 2014. The response was originally focused on the needs of those displaced but more recently has developed into obtaining self-reliance for those affected by the violence.
How we at Cabrini can help
We can help Ukraine, here at Cabrini, by donating through CRS’s website. All donations through this website will be used to help Ukrainian refugees.
Tony Pietrewicz, junior CRS Ambassador, said, “The best way and number one outlet to help the people directly in Ukraine is to donate to CRS.”
As we know, the situation keeps unraveling day-by-day, and CRS needs our help to continue its efforts. By donating to CRS, you are providing immediate assistance, going directly to those affected.
Over the last few weeks, there have been many marches and peaceful protests throughout the area that we can get involved in and help through participation. These protests and marches help to spread awareness to others who may be less informed about the topic.
Philadelphia is no stranger to these marches. There was a peaceful protest on Feb. 27 at Independence Mall where hundreds of supporters came out in solidarity with Ukraine and to condemn the Russian invasion.
Protests have been happening all over the world in more than 200 cities including some really high profile locations. People protested and held demonstrations outside of the White House, Times Square and even in the Russian capital of Moscow.
There are more developments everyday, so we need to ensure that we are staying updated. A terrific resource is The Kyiv Independent, who have been on the front lines of the attacks and have been talking about what has been happening from the start.
The most important thing we can do though is to stay informed. We cannot combat and condemn the Russian invasion if we do not know what is going on.
Here at Cabrini University and The Loquitur, we stand with Ukraine and will continue to pray for those affected.
