The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) shared first-hand accounts of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine at a Carleton University event on Sept. 19.
The event, organized by Carleton’s Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, highlighted the work of URCS supporting hospitals, communities and families in Ukraine.
“There is no family in Ukraine not touched by the war,” said Olena Stokoz, the society’s deputy director general.
In 2024, a projected 14.6 million Ukrainians will need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Out of that number, 3.7 million people are currently displaced within the country.
Since February 2022, URCS has provided assistance to 12.5 million people, which equates to roughly one in every three Ukrainians, Stokoz said. Staff and volunteers assist communities an hospitals in Ukraine, provide mental support and connect families.
“These are ordinary people doing extraordinary work,” said Askar Umarbekov, director of the Canadian Red Cross’s Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Response.
But the organization has faced challenges such as increased demand and lack of access to medical services since of the ongoing conflict, according to Maksym Dotsenko, director general of URCS.
“On the 22nd of October, 2022, when the first massive attacks on … electricity infrastructure started, it was attacked just near our office in the centre of Kyiv,” Dotsenko said.
“Yeah, there are some problems,” Dotsenko said. “But we’re dealing somehow with this.”
To reach communities outside of the largest Ukrainian cities, URCS operates 126 mobile health units to provide diagnostics and family doctors.
Umarbekov and Dotsenko participated in a brief question-and-answer session with an engaged audience following their presentations.
“I think it’s amazing that we got so many qualified speakers and professionals to speak at this event,” said Miles Rowe, a third-year Carleton student in attendance.
“It showed how complex humanitarian aid really is,” he said. “It’s more than just applying first aid to people, there’s more of a psychological aspect to it, even down to providing people with warmth and shelter.”
Michael Rogoff, a Carleton graduate who helped organize the event, said it was important to raise awareness about the war as a “multi-layered issue.”
“There are many aspects of this conflict that people just are either losing interest in or are not as aware of,” Rogoff said. “You just hear about war, but there are so many more factors [like humanitarian crises and aid].”
After the question-and-answer period, Dotsenko led audience members up to the Nideyinàn Galleria, where a photo exhibit showcased URCS’s work in Ukraine. Photos depicted society volunteers carrying injured bodies on stretchers in deserted fields, comforting civilians and handing out supplies.
“With choices to make on a day-to-day basis, with the bomb shelters and the sound of sirens, it’s hard to relate for us here in Canada,” Umarbekov said.
“We were hoping to share these stories, especially to make this connection, to put yourself in the shoes of a community member facing this.”
Featured image by Sophia Laporte
