UKRAINE

War in Ukraine

The devastating invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army has forced more than 6.5 million people to leave the country, becoming the largest humanitarian emergency in Europe since World War II.
 
Open Arms could not remain on the sidelines. To provide an immediate response to the emergency, it established an operational base with a team deployed in Warsaw (Poland) and helped protect the most vulnerable people, collaborating with other civil society entities.

Humanitarian air corridor

The Ukrainian population has become the indiscriminate target of armed attacks and suffers thousands of deaths. Protecting their lives is Open Arms’ mission.

Since March 2022, we have been coordinating an air evacuation operation with 16 humanitarian flightsfrom Warsaw (Poland) to Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Canada and Rome; within the framework of a strategic alliance with Solidaire, who made a Boeing 787-8 aircraft available. This way we delivered the children to safe havens in shelters.>more than 2,000 refugees, mostly elderly people and mothers with small children.

Land logistics coordination

Open Arms was also responsible for emergency logistics coordination in the Barcelona metropolitan area for the ground shipment of medical supplies, basic necessities, and food for the Ukrainian civilian population, under the coordination of the Consulate General of Ukraine in Barcelona.

In total, they were sent to Ukrainian territory 29 trucks with more than 350 tons of essential humanitarian aid, such as medicines, food, hygiene supplies and clothing, to help alleviate the situation of the civilian population trapped in the country.