On the 24th of February 2022, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. The military targeted major cities, hitting buildings, enemy aircraft, cargo ships and more, leading to the Ukrainian imposition of martial law. Western allies of Ukraine, such as the UK, France, the US and Romania have supported the nation through large donations of military equipment, armored vehicles, ammunition and funds, as well as deploying troops. As of March 2022, over 1 million refugees have left Ukraine, with projections reaching over 4 million. Over 1,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, including 25 children. Women and children are actively seeking refuge in Ukraine’s neighboring countries, while men aged 18-60 must remain in Ukraine. Waiting time on the Ukrainian border can reach up to 60 hours, and crucial supplies such as medicine, diapers, food and blankets are running short.
What can you do?
It is crucial for us as a community to do our part and help aid this humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion. There are multiple methods that you can help, depending on your capabilities and situation.
Donate to the “Together with Ukraine” campaign hosted by ISB
Our school has joined a campaign entitled “Together with Ukraine” in order to support the Ukrainian refugees, as a partnership with the Tuna Foundation. They want to provide immediate relief by collecting donations such as: sleeping bags, mattresses, instant food and diapers. These items can be brought directly to the ISB campus, where they will be collected and delivered to refugees at the Romanian border.
Monetary donations can also be carried out through the following methods:
Direct donations to Tuna Foundation’s account: IBAN: RO17 RNCB 0082 0320 2983 0001 BCR Unirea Bucharest with the note DONAȚIE ÎMPREUNĂ PENTRU UCRAINA.
On the Tuna Foundation website: https://tuna.ro/donate.html
On the paypal platform. / FundatiaTunaRo
In all of the Lumina schools (International School of Bucharest, Internațional School of Oradea, Liceul Teoretic Internațional de Informatică București- Colentina și Pallady, Liceul Teoretic Internațional de Informatică Constanța, Școlile Spectrum Colentina, Pallady, Ploiești, Cluj, Iași, Constanța) in the donation box by the reception.
Through sponsorships: for more information contact accountancy@isb.ro
If you are an ISB student you can also place your donations in the envelopes given out on the 4th of March at school. You have until the 11th of March to bring back the envelopes, and the class that raises the largest amount of money will receive a prize.
Volunteer for translation services
ISB teachers that speak Russian and/or Ukrainian have already volunteered to help translate phone calls and other important exchanges for refugees that don’t speak English or Romanian. If you speak any of these languages and are interested in helping you can contact the school.
Participate in student activities
If you are an ISB student there are also a variety of activities that you can personally participate in to help raise funds and awareness.
Poster competition - if you are interested in art and design, and want to raise awareness for this cause, you should participate in this competition. Design a poster that can persuade as many people as possible to donate money for the Ukrainian refugees by the 11th of March. The posters will be put around the school and the student that designs the best poster will receive a pizza party prize!
Selling/buying items - secondary students are organizing a sale of various items, including t-shirts, accessories, mugs, artworks, books and more, from the 7th-18th of March in the school gallery. You can bring items to sell or purchase any of the items from the sale, and all of the money obtained will be donated to the refugees.
Non-uniform days - on the 11th, 18th and 25th of March the school is hosting non-uniform days. You must pay 20 lei if you want to participate and wear either yellow or blue - the colours of the Ukrainian flag. All of the money obtained will be donated.
Cooking club food sale - the ISB cooking club will be selling the treats that they are making and all of the proceeds will be donated.
Pizza day - buy a pizza from the cafeteria to donate to the cause!
Raise awareness and check for fake news
Raising awareness about this situation and ways to help is crucial, as this may in turn encourage others to help, leading to a larger positive impact. You can do so by sharing online resources, including this article, and the video created by the ISB TV team:
However, as a multitude of news outlets are providing information regarding this ongoing issue, it is crucial that we check the accuracy and reliability of our sources. It is great to share resources and information about what is happening on social media, but make sure to always check that what you are sharing is accurate. You can do so by accessing websites such as Snopes.com and Politifact that can verify the reliability of online information and check for fake news.
Conclusively, it is of key importance for us to help all of the individuals affected by the war in Ukraine. Our hearts go out to them, and we hope that we can provide some relief through the means detailed above. I urge you to help and donate in any way that you can, because only as a community can we make a difference. Remember to be empathetic, grateful and compassionate. The ISB community stands with Ukraine.