“Above all, do not demobilize now”
This Wednesday morning, on France Bleu Occitanie, Myla Popenko, spokesperson for the Ukraine Libre Toulouse association, invites the inhabitants of the region to remain mobilized, united, one month after the start of the war in Ukraine.
Myla Popenko, it is you who coordinate and centralize the donations to Hall 9 on the Ile du Ramier in Toulouse with the volunteers. Are donations still as important or is it starting to run out of steam?
Donations are starting to dwindle. But the needs are only growing. More and more people are in food difficulty, with towns still surrounded and towns where fighting is taking place. Insecurity is setting in in some places. Above all, don’t give up now. People still need you. Your donations are important. They save lives.
“Above all, don’t give up now. People still need you. Your donations are important. They save lives.”
There are donations from individuals, people like you and me, and then there are gestures from companies… Yesterday, for example, Newrest gave you meal trays, right?
It is food that keeps well enough to book and distribute. A huge gift but which will go very quickly.
How are Toulouse donations routed, and how to ensure that they reach those at risk?
As in 2014 and 2015, from Toulouse and other cities in France, sur brings donations to Ukraine. We do not deposit our donations in the hubs without seeing where they are going. It’s between 1,800 and 2,500 euros (to travel from Toulouse to Ukraine, editor’s note). But the Ukrainian transport companies are making an effort and we sometimes manage on our own. We have Toulouse transport companies that also accompany us as “Jardel transport”. We also need money.
How is the reception of refugees going?
The Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in the region are accommodated in several gymnasiums opened for the occasion. There are also families who welcome Ukrainians. The gymnasiums are a transit scheduled for 24/48 hours, after people are welcomed into families. Then the Ukrainians obtain their title of presence in France which allows them to work, to find work like this Ukrainian who obtained a post of replacement at the college of Labège (which we heard on France Bleu Occitanie this Wednesday morning). This is not an isolated case. Most of the refugees are women, Ukrainians, and there are multiple possibilities in the field of health in particular, nurses, entrepreneurs too, and people like you and me who can do all types of work.
Useful information
The page Facebook of the association : https://www.facebook.com/UkraineLibreToulouse/
Hall 9 in Toulouse on the Île du Ramier is changing its opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.