MINNEAPOLIS – WAR NEWS – “Alight stands with the people of Ukraine,” says Alight CEO Jocelyn Wyatt. “If Ukrainian families can’t go home, Alight will help them to find peace and safety wherever they shelter. We’re listening to what they need right now, and we’re working to make sure they have all the essentials.”
“I can imagine what Ukrainian families are going through right now,” states Alight Emergency Response Team Leader Igor Radonjic. “My family experienced the horrors of war in the Balkans in the 1990s and I was forced to flee myself. Our team will meet families where they are and amplify what they tell us so that people around the world can help Ukrainian families in the most meaningful ways possible.”
Global humanitarian organization, Alight, has sent a team of aid workers to Poland. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the country and many more to seek shelter underground or with family in safer parts of the country. It’s Alight’s hope that the fighting will end soon and Ukrainians can return home, but the organization is mobilizing to support Ukrainian families if they cannot.
Alight’s response team of seasoned humanitarian and emergency response workers has been deployed to Poland, which has received the most Ukrainian refugees. It includes members of Alight’s humanitarian team that responded to the Yugoslav Wars in the 90s and 00s – the last widescale conflict in Europe. The team has been authorized to do the doable and allocated funds to act immediately to satisfy the needs of refugees they encounter. They are talking to Ukrainian families and organizations responding to understand the best ways Alight can help.
“Alight stands with the people of Ukraine,” says Alight CEO Jocelyn Wyatt. “If Ukrainian families can’t go home, Alight will help them to find peace and safety wherever they shelter. We’re listening to what they need right now, and we’re working to make sure they have all the essentials.”
After 40+ years doing this work, Alight knows that families won’t just be worried about their basic needs. They’ll be thinking of loved ones. And they’ll be wondering what comes next, what this all means for their lives. So, beyond ensuring basic needs, Alight will do everything we can to help people cope with the situation and grapple with what to do next.
The response team is also connecting with local actors and organizations that are also helping Ukrainians, to see where we might coordinate and amplify each others efforts.
To stay abreast of Alight’s response and to make a donation for Ukrainian refugee families and fuel our rapid response effort, please visit www.wearealight.org.
ABOUT ALIGHT
Established in 1978 by founder Neal Ball, Alight, formerly known as American Refugee Committee, provides health care, clean water, shelter, protection and economic opportunities to more than 3.5 million people in over 20 countries each year. Alight believes in the incredible creativity, potential and ingenuity of the displaced and works to shine a light on their humanity, the tremendous amount of good that’s already happening and the possibilities to do more. In 2020, Alight received the prestigious 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the tenth consecutive year, celebrating a decade of impactful work.
