CARITAS UKRAINE & AFUO MEDIA RELEASE
AUSTRALIAN HELP FOR UKRAINIAN CRISIS VICTIMS
Australians are donating to help the victims of violence in eastern Ukraine through a new initiative by the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) and the Rotary Clubs of Holroyd and Sydney Cove in Sydney, Australia to support the work of Caritas Ukraine.
The Ukraine Crisis Appeal (www.ukrainecrisisappeal.org) has raised $70,000 in its first two months for the emergency humanitarian programs of Caritas Ukraine with Ukraine’s 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Today in Kyiv, a symbolic “cheque” was presented by Pete Shmigel, AFUO’s Public Affairs Director, to Andrij Waskowycz, President of Caritas Ukraine.
Mr Shmigel said: “Australians have opened their hearts and are now helping those innocent people who are suffering here in Ukraine. Help is critical in so many ways, be it meeting the basic needs of those people displaced from eastern Ukraine to other parts of the country, or providing medical care for those injured in the conflict imposed by Putin, or helping kids orphaned by the 6000 casualties of the war. A tragedy brought Australia and Ukraine closer together and now emergency support is flowing to build a better future.”
Mr Waskowycz said: “On behalf of the IDPs whom we assist, I thank the Australian community for starting this appeal and now providing its generous support to those being impacted by conflict in Ukraine, a conflict that has also cost innocent Australian lives. According to the UN, some $300 million in aid is needed in Ukraine, and it is heartening that people as far away as Australia are seeking to meet that need.”
Mr Waskowycz said that the first tranche of Australian-raised funds will be allocated to the provision of modern medical equipment to facilities in eastern Ukraine where civilians injured by the conflict are being given treatment.
Mr Shmigel, who will attend official MH17 commemorations in Kyiv later this week, said that the Ukraine Crisis Appeal will aim to raise $1 million, and that this was the first small step in that process.
