*For conciseness reasons, ”refugees” includes here beneficiaries from asylum, people who have solicited asylum, as well as persons transiting the country
I can imagine that only a few people have not heard yet about the on-going war between Russia and Ucraine. For most of us, it may have even turned into “yesterday’s news”, a topic that already comes second or third even in the daily news. One of the reasons for this change is the fact that the war lasts longer than initially expected and that this prolongued duration brings along (together with other aspects) a cognitive and emotional fatigue.
Given that my country of origin neighbours Ukraine, since the beginning of the Russian invasion I closely followed the development of the refugees’ flight to the surrounding countries and further on to Western Europe. I was very impressed with how the civil society in many of the receiving countries promptly and warmly responded to the arrival of refugees, no matter what the previous geopolitical context between Ukraine and their native country was. These volunteers covered an essential gap in the often delayed response of states and organisations in offering the necessary support to the incoming refugees.
Today, on the World Refugee Day 2022, volunteers are fortunately no longer alone in offering immediate housing, food and donations to people fleeing the prolongued war in Ukraine. Private and public organisations have gotten actively involved, while laws and regulations for transnational travelling and collaboration are now in place. There is still room for improvement in most of the countries I have been reading about (Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany), yet the support has become more organised. Volunteers have meanwhile joined the helping organisations and they seem to act less and less on their own or in improvised settings.
In spite of a more organised way of supporting refugees, people who have voluntarily offered their support so far begin to show signs of fatigue and lower motivation due to the extended duration of the war and its unforeseeable end. Refugees, on the other hand, confess to prolongued anxiety and confusion about future-related decisions. Should I stay here or should I return home? is a question with no simple answer.
Just like in the beginning of the war, the emotional support offered by volunteers is essential at the debut of this new stage. Even if less visible as a collective participant in helping refugees, volunteers play a crucial role in keeping alive the support systems created by public and private organisations.
As an attempt to counteract the apparently decreasing individual involvement in such projects, I created a guide with practical tips on how to offer help to refugees based on our currently available resources. In longer-lasting problematic situations, a realistic and constant support brings more value than promises we can not keep until the end, in spite of our best intentions.
Let’s continue helping refugees, no matter where they come from, as they surely need our help at each stage of this unfortunate experience. It helps us grow, too.
The original guide (in Romanian) has been revised by Cristina Beiten, experienced school psychologist in Bonn, Germany
For starters, the guide is available in English and in Romanian. If you find it useful in further languages, please drop me a comment and I will do my best to provide the translation in the desired language.
Yours confidently,
Corina