Update on District 27 Help to the Ukrainian Zontians and Ukrainian People

 

Dear Zonta friends worldwide and in Europe, Since the first day of the Russian invasion in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, we have been in constant exchange via email, social media and telephone with our friends from the Zonta Clubs of Lviv and Lviv Zamok and Uzhgorod. All three clubs are located in western Ukraine near the Polish, Hungarian and Slovakian borders. With the overwhelming willingness and support of Zontians from all parts of our district and worldwide, we have succeeded in building up a network of donations and support for the Ukrainian Zontians within a very short time. For this, we are also infinitely grateful to all supporters. Shelter and donations – Our help arrives Numerous Zontians donated and entered their names in our lists for the private accommodation of refugee women and children. In the meantime, the first refugees from the embattled areas, especially in eastern Ukraine, have also arrived in Germany. The growing volume of donations is helping the Ukrainian Zontians on the ground to assist in the flight of civilians, women and children, from the embattled areas: with vehicle transfers from Lviv and Uzhgorod to the country’s borders, with transitional shelters in Lviv and Uzhgorod, with food, drink, clothing, hygiene articles, medicines and communication aids such as power banks for cell phones, and psychological care. All three Zonta Clubs, Lviv, Lviv Zamok and Uzhgorod, have been supporting refugee women and their children from the eastern part of Ukraine, from Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, with their projects for many years. Testimonies at CSW66 In Lviv, our Zonta friend, the journalist Luba Maksymovych, spoke with women who had fled since the outbreak of the war about their experiences. Luba collected these testimonies in the form of videos, photos and texts taken spontaneously by cell phone. With the support of Pamela Morgan, UN Chair of Zonta International and Co-Chair of the NGO CSW66 Forum, by International President Sharon Langenbeck, by our Incoming International President Ute Scholz and Megan Radavich from the Zonta International Head Quarters, we succeeded at short notice to register a corresponding Parallel Event at the NGO CSW for Friday, March 25, 2022, at 16.00 CET: WOMEN IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR AND UN RESOLUTION 1325 ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY You need to register if you want to attend the Zoom meeting: Register here. Now we are working at full speed to translate and subtitle Luba’s video material. Apart from the subtitling, it is to be shown in its very own and authentic form without post-processing and montage. Luba will report and comment from Lviv. We have compiled a few excerpts from her transcribed interviews for you here in preview: Women’s voices are important Olga and her daughter Anna © Luba Maksymovych Read the interviews Zonta cares! Many refugees are traumatized by what they have experienced. The psychological burden of helping Zontians in Lviv and Uzhgorod is also constantly increasing. They are in great concern for their children, whom they have taken to safety abroad with relatives and friends. They worry about their parents who do not want to leave their homeland, about relatives and friends, and about men, fathers and sons who defend Ukraine with their lives. Meanwhile, the threat of Russian attacks in Lviv is high. The city has been under increasing fire since March 14. The war has also come to within 250 kilometres of Uzhgorod since March 12. Every day we worry whether communication and money transfers will still work and whether those affected will be able to escape. It is a race against time. We fear for the physical and mental health of the women and children, but also of the men who are involved in the war as soldiers. We fear for their future, the future of Europe and the future of the world. What gives support in these times is also our strong Zonta network. Thank you for being there and being part of it. Thank you for sharing, spreading the word and supporting us in these difficult times. Thank you for your generosity Ann Naets Governor, District 27Tekst by Karin Lange Advocacy Chair, District 27