“Our House” and aid to Ukraine: last week’s results

The heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people against Russian aggression has been going on for exactly a month. Our House and partner organisations have been collecting humanitarian aid and sending food baskets and food trucks for Ukrainians both in the country and abroad. Today we summarise another week of our help.

Since the start of the war 4,995 adults and 4,100 children have received humanitarian support, more than 2,000 of them in the last week. Our aid goes to hostels where Ukrainians live, refugee camps and individual families. And we are helped by organisations and friendly companies. For example, the supermarket chain Biedronka, from which we have already received food aid for the third time. In addition, the international Ukrainians’ Initiative has donated to our warehouse in Warsaw 10 tons of nappies for children. It is a much-needed aid, which can be significant everywhere, both in Poland and Ukraine. Another three tonnes of humanitarian aid went to a camp for Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria.

“Our House” brings people of different nationalities together. Russians and Ukrainians sort humanitarian aid together with Belarusians at the “Pobacz” warehouse. Many people come to us on purpose and volunteer at our warehouse. In Lithuania, we have managed to unite Belarusians, Ukrainians and Lithuanians. We are glad that Lithuanian citizens offer us hospitality, help us with translations, support us financially, give us useful advice and tell politicians and public organisations about us. We continue cooperation with Belarusian initiatives abroad. Here is what ABF writes about it: “All volunteer trips are organised and supported: ABF Belarus in Lithuania together with the public institution “Solidarumo tiltas”, “Razam” – fund of assistance to Belarusians, the initiative “DAR”, the NGO “Dapamoga”, the International Centre for Civil Initiatives “Our House”. We are happy that our work is noticed and appreciated.

This week we received a response from Josep Borrell to our letter thanking us for the sanctions package that has been imposed on key figures in the Belarusian regime who support Russian aggression in Ukraine. The European politician confirmed that the EU condemns the unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the involvement of Belarus in this aggression. Josep Borrell said that the violation of international law would be met with additional sanctions against Belarus. But at the same time, he stressed that the EU shares the Lukashenko regime and the opposition: “The EU continues to hold the Lukashenko regime responsible for malicious violations of international law, human rights and freedoms. In this regard, the EU continues to support Belarus’ democratic leaders and expresses solidarity with the protesters against the war in Ukraine.”

“Our House”, together with other Belarusian and international organisations, continues to sign petitions against military aggression in Ukraine. Today Olga Karatch signed a petition to the Polish Sejm to apply the Law on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine in Connection with the Armed Conflict and to Belarusian citizens who were evacuated from the territory of Ukraine. “Our House”, the Centre for Belarusian Solidarity, “Belarusians in Lodz” and the Belarusian Solidarity Union addressed a petition with the same demands to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, the Minister of Labour and Social Policy and the Head of the Office for Foreigners. Also, “Our House”, along with 20 other organisations around the world, asked the UN Security Council to take immediate action to stop Russia’s full-scale military aggression against Ukraine.

Our work continues every day. As you read this text, “Our House” activists are sorting humanitarian aid, writing to politicians and international companies, preparing for solidarity actions and round tables. We remember that we are doing all this also for Belarus every minute of the struggle. Because without a free Ukraine, we will never have democracy.

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