The response in Ukraine:
The human tragedy developing from the war in the Ukraine is mind boggling. With close to 3 million people now having left the country and tens of thousands waiting to find shelter in the UK, the impact of this event will be long lasting.
Some of you have asked what ADRA is doing.
ADRA-UK, as a small office, does not have its own emergency response team but works very closely with the ADRA network Emergency Response Team (ERT). When disasters strike, the ERT as ADRA’s headquarters at the General Conference office in Silver Spring, USA, jumps into action. Capitalising on the global network and the reach of the Seventh-day Adventist church ADRA is quick to start needs assessments and ask ADRA offices around the world for financial support. Currently, there are dedicated ERT staff in Ukraine, Hungary, Poland and Romania coordinating the response together with the local
The network is putting up funding: each office contributing what we can through local fundraising. Thanks to your help we have raised enough funds to make a clear difference. Every donation earmarked ‘Ukraine’ will 100% go to the emergency response.
ADRA-UK has in recent days send funds to Ukraine (US$25,000 as part of a US$500,000 project), Romania (US$50,000 as part of a US$500,000 project) and Poland (US$25,000 as part of a US$500,000 project).
By working through our partners in the global ADRA network, we have been able to respond quickly and effectively by providing life-saving assistance and protection to people left in the Ukraine and those fleeing the war, helping with food, water, sanitation facilities and temporary shelter and counselling.
ADRA is not operational in the UK.
This means we are not implementing projects in the UK and are not able to be an actor in emergencies here. This is a clear direction from our Board of Trustees. It is the purview of Adventist Community Services and the church for local responses in the UK.
Our ‘I Am Urban’ initiative (fully funded by ADRA-UK – with no contributions from the BUC) was established to provide support to local churches that wanted to reach out in their communities with training and learning resources. This proved quite successful during the pandemic.
The hosting of Ukrainian refugees in the UK, however, is going to be a very complicated issue. The British Union Conference currently not planning to get directly involved as a denomination.
ADRA-UK will continue to work to assist the hundreds of thousands, now almost forgotten, people in Yemen, Chad, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Zambia, South Sudan and other desperate parts of the world.
Please keep the people affected by the Ukraine crisis in your prayers, and all the volunteers and ADRA staff working to make a real difference.
