Ukrainians flee to neighboring countries, Dutch organizations set up aid

In Poland, Ukrainian refugees cross the border. Reception centers are set up for them where they can get food, medical assistance and information about the asylum procedure.

Reception in neighboring countries

The Polish Ministry of Health says that Polish hospitals are also preparing beds for wounded Ukrainians. “We will do everything in our power to ensure that everyone who enters Polish territory has access to health care.”

Reuters news agency reported that small groups of people fled to Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said his country is ready to receive refugees. Slovakia sends 1,500 soldiers to the border with Ukraine to guard it. The government is also prepared to open more border crossings if necessary.

Band aid

Dutch aid organizations are busy organizing aid in Ukraine, neighboring countries and the Netherlands. For example, the Refugee Foundation, which is committed to receiving and directing refugees within its national borders, opened Giro 999 and immediately made a quarter of a million people available for emergency assistance. “We expect several million people to flee to Ukraine’s neighbors and within the country itself,” a spokesman said.

“There will be an urgent need for emergency aid. You have to think about shelter, food and drink and psychosocial assistance. We are monitoring the situation there through our partner organizations so that we can scale up quickly.”

Food and medical care

Red Cross opens giro 5125 to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and neighboring countries. The relief organization expects that a lot of help will be needed in the coming period. They are thinking about food, water, medical care, and psychosocial care for people who have fled.

Save the Children has been in the country for seven years. “In the parts where we can still operate, we will continue to operate,” a company spokesperson said. “In areas where there is fighting now, we can do nothing for some time. Our personnel are hiding there. They are safe.” The organization is also studying whether it can provide assistance in neighboring countries. “But we don’t know yet what that will look like.”

humanitarian situation

A spokesperson says the development organization ZOA is monitoring the situation so far. “We are looking at the directions people are taking and what the humanitarian situation is. We are talking with local parties that are operating in Ukraine and neighboring countries. In the coming days we will make choices about how and where we will provide assistance.”

Aid organizations such as Warchild, Cordaid, CARE Nederland and Kerk in Actie are looking into how and where to provide assistance. “We are supporting residents immediately and are looking to see if we can expand,” Corded said. “What has happened now is horrific,” a Kirk spokesperson said in Acti. “So we’re going to scale it up.”

Warchild Spokesperson: “The coming days should show what the needs of children in Ukraine are and how we can contribute to that.”

All kinds of scenarios

The Dutch Refugee Council, which is involved in guiding asylum seekers in the Netherlands, says it takes all kinds of scenarios into account. They are willing to guide Ukrainian refugees who apply for asylum in the Netherlands. “We are in the process of adjusting our guidance to fit this new group,” a company spokesperson said.

They don’t know yet what numbers they should prepare for. “With the crisis in Afghanistan, it was also expected that large numbers would arrive in Europe, but it turned out not to be the case. It also depends on how neighboring countries like Poland and Hungary organize to help.”

The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) indicated that it was doing its best to receive Ukrainian refugees. New reception sites will be needed quickly for this purpose, says the spokesperson. “All refugee reception centers are currently full.”

The Dutch government is also monitoring the influx of refugees from Ukraine. Prime Minister Rutte does not yet want to say whether the Netherlands will accept additional refugees from Ukraine. Consider existing agreements and frameworks We are what we can do.”