Why do we help? As part of UN Week, we answered this question.
Ľudo Činčala, our aid coordinator for Ukraine, introduced the Czech audience of TV Noe to our assistance to displaced people in Ukraine and Slovakia, and told moving stories about his encounters with people he met during the eight months of the war. You can watch the footage in TV Noe archive (56:48 - 1:13:25).
Thank you Silesian Diakonia and TV Noe for the invitation and the opportunity to talk about the importance of helping others, and about what it really looks like in Ukraine. Special thanks to the host and talented musician Pavel Helan, without whom this pleasant evening would not have taken place.
The second event was the „Let's Discuss Together“ event, where we talked about our aid to Ukraine in front of an audience of ninth graders from the Narnia Elementary School in Bratislava, students from the Einsteinova Street Gymnasium and the Bilingual Gymnasium C. S. Lewis. The questions were absurd at first sight, but unfortunately they resonate with a large part of our society.
The war in Ukraine affects all of us. However, none of us wants to face up to its economic and social consequences. In spite of this, the war in a neighbouring state is also our reality, and we must speak about it. The question of why we have to help Ukrainians at all stems more from ignorance of the context than from social intolerance. Fear of the unknown and a lack of interest in educating ourselves about complex issues only deepens this apathy towards the outside world.
That is why it is important for us to listen to others' opinions, to talk to them, to enter into discussions, and to answer, often even uncomfortable questions. And especially to think. Together.
Young people are our future. In a few years' time, they will be the ones shaping the world we live in, and they will have to make difficult decisions. We are grateful to have been able to raise these challenging issues with them, and to stimulate their thinking.
At the end of the meeting, several students enthusiastically stopped by our ADRA table and decided to put their hand to work. Since they are located in Bratislava, where else would we direct them if not to the Humanitarian Relief Site in Who will help Ukraine Aupark. It is here that they can see how humanitarian aid and integration of refugees works in practice. During the eight months of the war, hundreds of Ukrainian and Slovak volunteers and thousands of refugees have come to the Humanitarian Aid Site and found all kinds of material assistance - from food, clothes, toys, hygiene items and strollers.
Thank you SlovakAid for a great discussion with excellent guests and for new enthusiastic volunteers from the students of Bratislava high schools.
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The discussion took place in the framework of the United Nations Week with the participation of representatives from UNHCR, Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, a Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.
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