24 February 2022: the day when the Russian occupation of Ukraine began, when the world's security was threatened by a potential third world war and started the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the end of the Second World War. As of today, there are approximately 2 million Ukrainian refugees, 1.85 million internally displaced persons, and some 12.65 million people directly affected by the conflict, who are currently facing cold, hunger and constant flight from bomb and weapons.
24.02.22: Russia's invasion of Ukraine begins, Ukrainian mothers and children have been fleeing the country, abandoning their families, their homes, their lives. We want to be there now. We are witnessing is a real exodus: the drama, to date, is of over 2.000,000 people fleeing. Among them are mostly women and children on their own. Parents themselves are also forced to make painful decisions to protect their children in order to reach the most difficult choice represented by separation.
Separation and flight represent for children a profound psychological disturbance: the loss of safe places, the fear of their parents' future, the fear of the unknown. The project intervenes on the one hand with emergency aid and first aid for refugees, and on the other hand by supporting the reception network in Italy in particular for children. By specialised operators and cultural mediators, the aim is to ensure that children fleeing war can be serenely integrated into their new environment.
The project responds to two specific needs: the first is to bring initial assistance to the thousands of refugees crowded outside the borders of Ukraine through reliable local partners operating in Poland, Moldova (through the Swiss NGO Helvetas) and Romania. The second is to start psychological, linguistic and educational support projects for refugees who will settle or have already settled in Italy.
