War in Ukraine - what is MVI doing?

"Alina is on the move with her three children (12, 10 and 3 years old). She lived in a small town near Kiev. Yesterday she left there. Her husband took her and the children a short distance by car, but then had to turn back - he is of an age to serve in military service and is not allowed to leave Ukraine. She and her children had to walk the last 15 kilometres to Poland. Across the border, they are met by Polish volunteers who distribute food and water and offer a free ride to the next town. Many refugees have private contacts where they can stay. For the others, emergency shelters have been set up, where they will first be cared for and then distributed to other regions. All EU countries have declared their willingness to accept Ukrainian refugees."

"A few kilometres away, on the Polish-Belarusian border, Dilovan "lives" with his family. He too fled war and violence from Iraq. He was able to book the flight to Belarus like a " holiday". Afterwards - so he was told - he could cross the border to Poland and thus enter the EU. The reality, however, is different. Like many other refugees, he lives in a dense and inaccessible forest in the border area and is constantly on the run from the police. Time and again he has tried to cross the border with his children, but has failed. Those who are picked up by the police are often brought back to Belarus illegally. Many have been brutally beaten up. Some Polish volunteers provide them with the bare necessities. Those who do not have a tent sleep outside in sub-zero temperatures. There is hardly any medical care, although many here urgently need help."

Alina and Dilovan are fictional characters and yet their "stories" are a reality experienced thousands of times over, just like the many reports of people trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean route.

We are deeply moved and shocked by what is happening in Ukraine right now and we have been asked again and again in the last few days whether we will also help there.

It is encouraging that these terrible events are leading to so much willingness to help. However, experience has also shown that after events that receive a lot of attention (e.g. the tsunami disaster or the fire on Lesbos), donations often lie in some accounts years later and cannot be spent because so much money is not needed.

In the next few days, we will get an idea of the situation on the ground and also focus on Romania and Moldova, where there are far fewer opportunities to provide for refugees. Whether it makes sense and is possible to go directly to Ukraine depends on many factors (including safety for our volunteers). However, we will also consider this.

We will make the decision where to become active dependent on the following criteria:

- Where are there people who need our help because no one else is helping?

- Where do we have the possibilities and contacts to really help?

We have also just decided to cooperate with the Sea Punks, whom we will provide medical support to on a rescue ship in the central Mediterranean. To equip our small treatment container, we will need about 15-20,000 Euros.

And of course, we will continue to be active in Thessaloniki, Athens and Lesbos.

To make all this possible, we ask you from the depth of our hearts for a donation that is not tied to a specific project, but that we can use flexibly where it is needed most at the moment.

Please help us to be there for the people who no one else cares about!

Link: https://medical-volunteers.org/donate-now/

Thank you very much and best regards,

Nicole Grimske (Board Member and Medical Director)