From Ukraine to the USA
Ukrainian Americans protesting outside of the Russian Embassy in support of Ukraine. Source: US Embassy
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in one of the continent's worst humanitarian crises since the 1990s. As violence rages on, millions of Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes, and have sought refugee status amongst neighboring countries and abroad. The UN Refugee Agency estimated that more than 3.7 million people have fled the country, and that 13.1 million more are estimated to have been stranded in conflict zones. Russia has proven its willingness to target civilians attempting to flee the country, as evident from its bombings on the Kramatorsk train station that killed at least 52 people.
Though the U.S. has continued to leverage its military power and financial aid in order to support Ukrainian forces, the Biden Administration is also providing measures to lessen the growing humanitarian crisis. The U.S. has agreed to accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees after increased domestic and international pressure. The Biden Administration has additionally pledged $1 billion in humanitarian aid (food, water, medical supplies, and other necessities) to neighboring countries that have accepted refugees. President Biden commented, “This is not something that Poland or Romania or Germany should carry on their own. This is an international problem.” Since February of 2022, the U.S. has already provided more than $123 million to neighboring countries and the European Union to assist host governments with the influx in refugee populations. In addition, the United Nations appointed a crisis coordinator for Ukraine and announced $20 million in aid from the UN Central Agency response fund.
In the wake of international and domestic outcry over Russia’s human rights abuses, governments are not the only organizations taking action to support refugees. Companies and nonprofits alike are committing themselves to supporting displaced Ukrainians. AirBnB is asking its users to donate stays to Ukrainian families, and Manpower — an international staffing firm — is setting up Ukrainian-specific sites to provide employment for refugees. Other charities that specifically focus on humanitarian aid have shifted their focus to Ukraine’s neighboring counties to provide meals and medical aid directly to families.
In the U.S., families and individuals are also working to assist incoming Ukrainian refugees. Many U.S.-based Ukrainian communities are welcoming in those who have recently fled by sponsoring them, which includes helping them find housing, enrolling children in school, and helping sign them up for healthcare. High schooler Amelia Aluise urged her family to sponsor a Ukrainian family after viewing the devastation from of conflict. She explained, “I wanted to sponsor a refugee because it’s hard to look at the horrible things going on and not want to help in as big of a way as possible. Giving money to certain organizations is great but I still don’t feel like I’m truly contributing, and when I see what’s happening in Ukraine on the news, I just feel responsible to do anything I possibly can.”
The increase in aid for Ukrainian refugees at both the individual and government level has inspired many positive stories of community and compassion. But despite the White House and other multilateral international organizations' proactive measures to assist Ukrainians, many also notice that there is a stark contrast between aid provided to Ukrainian refugees versus the aid provided to refugees from Middle Eastern conflict zones in the past decade. In reality, an overwhelming number of the world’s refugee population — which is now at an all time high of 84 million — consists of displaced persons from Syria, Afghanistan, and South Sudan. But fewer than 23,000 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since 2016. Yet the same countries that have rushed to aid Ukrainian refugees, are simultaneously forcibly keeping out refugees that do not identify as white or Christian.