Tucksons will be Supporting Ukraine
Tucksons will be supporting charities in Europe to help rebuild the destroyed Cities and lives in Ukraine, and also help Ukrainian refugees entering Poland, Moldova, Romania, Latvia, Estonia and Hungary. Refugees have been welcomed and supported as they cross the border and, where possible, helped to stay with hosts from supporting churches, their friends or in temporary accommodation.
As of the 10th of May 2022, 1,080 refugees have been placed in homes in 31 different cities and been provided with 100,000 meals to displaced people leaving Ukraine. Through ‘Heart to Heart’ organization, 14 tonnes of medical supplies have been provided. The ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme was launched on the 14th March 2022 to match host families with Ukrainian refugee families, and the visa application went live on the 18th March 2022. So far, 72 individuals have been matched with hosts, and the majority of these refugees have arrived safely to the United Kingdom.
IMAGE
Natasha and her children are one of the families who have received their visas and is now living in Central London with her two daughters and their host family. Natasha’s journey began in Kyiv where she was living before the war began. When the bombing started in Kyiv, she moved further west in Ukraine to Ivano-Frankivsk.
She and her friend Iryna connected with The ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme while they were living in Western Ukraine and soon, had been matched with a suitable host family. They applied for visas for themselves plus seven children, including a teenager that was not one of their own. Eventually all their visas came through and they jumped on a coach for a ten-hour journey to Krakow, Poland. The ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme provided travel advice and support throughout their journey. From Krakow they flew to Luton Airport, where they were picked up by volunteers. Natasha and her family were driven to their hosts in Central London, and her friend and five children were driven to Folkestone.
A volunteers Day Centre in Germany are supporting refugees that have come from the Polish border to Berlin. The refugees are staying at the centre to rest and recuperate before they move on to more permanent accommodation. At the Day Centre in Germany they serve to meet the immediate needs of refugees as they arrive, but they also help to rehabilitate refugees into their new life in Germany. They run training and information sessions at the Day Centre.
A team of volunteers in Moldova are picking up refugees from a point on the Ukrainian border which is three hours’ drive from where they have rented a hotel in the capital Chisinau. Most of the refugees have come from the nearby city of Odessa in southern Ukraine.