Angelo Conti
Yesterday afternoon, with the delivery of the last 25 aid packages to as many Ukrainian families, Specchio dei tempi concluded one of the projects activated for the refugee emergency: a 500 euro cash aid was delivered to 1000 families, for a total expenditure of half a million euro. In detail, 605 families were helped in Turin, 260 in Novara, 70 in Cuneo, 62 in Alessandria and 3 in Savona. The recipients of the aid were 985 women and 15 men, mainly elderly. There were 3247 children in these family groups, with an average of 3.2 children. Very large families with up to 9 children were also supported. The area of origin was in 26% of the cases Mariupol, 22% Odessa, 17% Kiev, 12% Kharkiv. The remaining 23% came from other provinces, almost all in eastern Ukraine.
The project was carried out in close collaboration with the Ukrainian Consulate in Turin and with the consul Dario Arrigotti: a team of Ukrainian volunteers, all long-standing residents in Piedmont, took care of receiving the phone calls for help and of an initial assessment of the requests. The staff of Specchio dei tempi then took care of calling for and delivering the aid, relying in Turin on Casa Santa Luisa in via Nizza 24 and in the provinces on the local editorial offices of La Stampa, which collaborated by providing premises and services.
There were countless expressions of gratitude for this initiative: “It was moving,” explains Specchio’s president, Lodovico Passerin d’Entreves, “to read the messages that these families sent us. Many women had fled their homes holding their children by the hand but without taking anything else with them. This first important cash aid has enabled them to approach an unknown country in a less difficult way. Assistance will obviously continue for emergencies or particularly serious situations”.
Together with the Cooperativa Crescere 1979, Specchio dei tempi has also immediately set up the “Forza Mamme Ucraine!” project, which is accompanying the integration of dozens of families in Turin by means of meetings, Italian courses, knowledge of the city and games for the children.
Finally, the Refugee Village in Cernivci, in the heart of Ukraine, has been set up for a month now by Specchio dei tempi and Specchio d’Italia, with the logistical support of Remar Onlus. where thousands of refugees fleeing bombed cities, but who do not want to leave Ukraine, are welcomed and assisted, seeking shelter in a relatively quieter city. Here, Specchio has purchased over 1,000 square metres of tensile structures, deployed the Specchiobus with two clinics, guaranteed medical assistance and sends a truckload of food and basic necessities every week.
Specchio dei tempi has so far collected €1,578,472 from 6444 donors for the project “For the people of Ukraine”. The subscription obviously remains open, also because there is still a lot to be done, especially in the Village of Cernivci where we provide a meal to 1300 refugees a day.
