On the border between Poland and Ukraine, the stories of African students are beginning to pile up. The Ukrainian police practice a form of segregation: allowing its citizens to move freely between the two countries, while foreign students, black or Arab, have to wait long hours in the cold before they can hope to flee the war. these stories, Raw some of them reported in a report published on Monday, Feb. 28. But so many others could be told as the situation on the ground is difficult for these foreign students.
To help her Moroccan compatriots, Sarah Bourial, a 25-year-old data scientist from Paris, launched the “Morocco Ukraine Collective” during the weekend of February 26/27. Purpose: to help those who want to leave Ukraine remotely. Via a special website, people who need help and people who want to help can register and, if necessary, be put in contact with each other.
Accommodation in border countries† Remote help to find a train, a taxi, a repatriation flight, and psychological support are supplied from Paris, but also in the capitals of the countries bordering Ukraine: in Budpest, Warsaw, Bucharest or Brastislava.
“Many of the people we support are in extremely stressful situations. They are in cities where there are explosions. When they decide to leave, they are alone or separated from their companion(s). Some people traveled 900 kilometers to get to the border, took a taxi, then a bus, a train, another bus and another taxi and finally walked 20 kilometers.”describes the initiator of the collective, responsible for coordinating groups of volunteers through an instant messaging system.
How to help?
Once across the border, the help doesn’t stop there. The Collective serves as a link between students fleeing the war and the Moroccan embassy to enable them to:staying in hotels, taking a taxi or being chartered on a repatriation flight. “When people arrive in the Slovak, Hungarian and Polish capital, volunteers pick them up. But we miss the poor to ensure a welcome to others”emphasizes Sarah Bourial.
In total, forty volunteers work to provide assistance to these Moroccan students. But above all, others are needed Warsaw where people are already active “bewildered”†
The collective is also in demand among mental health professionals, such as psychologists or psychiatrists, which can provide moral support to these students. Some are, according to Sarah Bourial, “in miserable condition”† In question ? The events on the Polish border, “but also on the Hungarian and Slovakian borders”or the bombings and wars that put an end to their professional projects.
To offer your help in the field (from border countries for housing, shelter) or at a distance (for psychological support, financial help, administrative help), you can fill in this form. If you need help, please fill out this other form.