CHANDIGARH: In the war-ravaged Ukraine where the locals have been rendered homeless now safe bombing shelters to save children, women, elderly and sick will be set up in the grey zone in the heart of the country by United Sikhs a human rights and advocacy organisation affiliated with the United Nations, which is already running food vans delivering free meals there.
Director of United Sikhs who is touring Ukraine to assess the needs of the local residents rendered homeless and is meeting with local leaders and humanitarian organizations to optimize humanitarian assistance for the people of that country. Talking with this newspaper Hardayal Singh said, "We were the first responders to organize relief with volunteers from Germany, US, Denmark and UK flying in, risking their lives to set up medical relief camp, heated shelter, a community kitchen for daily supply of food for the refugees and the victims in multiple cities including Kyiv.’’
Singh went around various towns around Kharkiv and interacted with the families who lost their homes in the bombing. "The immediate need is for safe bombing shelters to save children, women, the old and the sick thus the United Sikhs is in a process of setting up two such shelters for more than 300 children, women and men, in the grey zone in the heart of Ukraine and another two such shelters, are in the pipeline. The locations have been identified where these shelters will be erected as they are in the basement of old factory and have tunnel which will be fortified for sheltering the displaced families and others. As ventilation and air-conditioning work is going on. As each shelter will accommodate around 150 people. These shelters will have all the basic amenities will food, water, toilets, medicines and electricity. Thus we are spending around 25,000 US dollars per shelter. We cannot disclose their locations due to security
concerns,’’ he said.
"Also daily we are giving free meals to 250 locals as two of our food trucks go around. Further, we have started giving dry food items to the Ukrainian families as recently we gave two weeks supplies to 150 families,’’ he said.
"In the wake of this humanitarian crisis and the suffering that every family is going through the resilient Ukrainians are keeping a brave face, which calls for concerted efforts of the people around the globe to join in this campaign to save the children, women, and men shattered by war.’’
"In March this year we erected a normal shelter 80 feet into 37 feet in Poland near to Ukrain border where 10,000 people were accommodated at one go as daily 15,000 to 20,000 refugees were coming as till date more than five million have left the country,’’ says Singh.
The United Sikhs had been looking after refugees with medical aid, life-saving relief supplies, sanitation and dental kits, clothing, and food every day. Earlier at a fund-raiser hosted by Friends of Ukraine, at Newark, NJ, Senator Cory Booker, joined in the spirit of solidarity with United Sikhs and said, that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere and injustice is happening, people are dying right now.