refugees Archives - GlobalMedic

World Refugee Day: GlobalMedic’s Impact on the Ground

World Refugee Day, observed on June 20, highlights the resilience and struggles of millions of refugees worldwide. This day encourages a deeper understanding of their journeys, often fraught with peril as they flee from conflict and disaster to seek safety and stability for themselves and their families. It also highlights the indispensable role organizations like GlobalMedic play in providing vital aid to these displaced populations.

Refugees face numerous challenges, from the immediate danger of conflict to the uncertainties of life in temporary camps that often lack adequate resources. The journey to a new home is complex and bureaucratic, potentially dragging on for years.

GlobalMedic has been actively involved in providing crucial support to refugees affected by the conflict in Ukraine. Immediately following the escalation of conflict in February 2022, millions of Ukrainians began fleeing the country, ending up in neighbouring countries like Romania and Moldova. GlobalMedic began responding to the needs of refugees in both countries, but as the refugee populations have shifted over the last two years the response now focuses on Moldova where more than 120,000 Ukrainian refugees are still residing. GlobalMedic has been producing food hampers locally in Moldova which are distributed weekly to Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan host families. This program has delivered more than 200,000 food hampers to families in need.

Moreover, GlobalMedic’s commitment extends beyond immediate relief in the wake of the initial conflict. The programs set up in Moldova have been running for more than two years, recognizing the long-term reality of refugees who have been displaced for such an extended time. Our response has included both robust logistics from Canada to distribute Family Emergency Kits and local procurement, significantly bolstering our capacity to provide sustained assistance.

Volunteers are the backbone of GlobalMedic’s operations. In the past year alone, volunteers contributed over 50,000 hours of their time, packing and delivering aid. The dedication of these volunteers, who come from all walks of life, fuels GlobalMedic’s ability to respond swiftly and effectively to crises. Additionally, in a unique approach to fostering community and self-reliance among displaced populations, GlobalMedic has involved refugees in Moldova in their programs. These individuals support other refugees by assisting in the distribution of aid, utilizing their firsthand understanding of the needs and challenges faced by displaced communities.

This involvement not only provides practical assistance but also empowers refugees by giving them an active role in their own recovery and in supporting others experiencing similar hardships. This model of involving refugees in aid efforts exemplifies a full-circle approach to humanitarian aid, where beneficiaries become benefactors, enhancing the effectiveness and the human connection in the aid provided.

Rahul Singh reflects on the spirit and dedication of those involved, “I am proud of our team of professional humanitarians who keep the operations running smoothly despite these turbulent times. The world needs more of the solutions that our teams deliver.”

As we mark World Refugee Day, it’s crucial to acknowledge and support the efforts of organizations that are supporting refugees around the world. Their work does more than just meet immediate needs—it also lays the groundwork for long-term recovery and stability. This day is a reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by refugees and the importance of sustained, community-driven support to help them rebuild their lives.

Asylum Seekers in Toronto

Maha Farooq & Hawi Wonswossen – Emergency Programs Interns

Escalation of Unhoused Asylum Seekers

Asylum seekers in Toronto have been facing a shelter crisis since early June; public attention grew as the number of asylum seekers camping outside the streets of downtown Toronto increased weekly. By July, a few dozen asylum seekers were spotted sleeping outside the City’s shelter intake centre on Peter Street. The asylum seekers stayed outside the intake centre in the hope that they would soon secure some form of housing. The reality was that the City’s shelter systems were at full capacity, and on top of that, no funding was available to accommodate the influx of refugees and asylum seekers seeking housing assistance. According to the City of Toronto, the total number of asylum seekers in the shelter system has multiplied by more than 500 percent over the past 20 months. Numbers have skyrocketed from 530 people a night in September of 2021 to almost 3,000 in May of 2023. Asylum seekers remained neglected as the federal and municipal governments began a long back-and-forth as to who should be responsible for the individuals.

The total number of asylum seekers sleeping on the street continued to grow in July, and local organizations began to take matters into their own hands. Ainsworth Morgan, co-founder of the 100 Strong Foundation, a non-profit that aims to empower Black boys to become leaders, played an important role in finding shelter for some of the refugees. He contacted Pastor Judith James at Revivaltime Tabernacle Church in North York, who immediately offered up her space to help. Dominion Church International Toronto followed suit, and together the two were able to take in close to 350 people. With an understanding of the possible gaps that would be present, GlobalMedic reached out to the churches to gain an understanding of how we could help. Equipped with this information, we activated our programs to support.

Interning During this Response – Maha

As a summer Emergency Programs Intern at GlobalMedic, I have had the opportunity to work on various emergency response projects. When GlobalMedic heard of the Toronto Asylum seeker situation and the work of the two North York churches, the team was quick to connect with the churches and strategize a response plan. Working in coordination with the churches that were accommodating over 300 individuals at the time, GlobalMedic mobilized a team to the scene, including myself. The first step was to identify the gap in needs in this situation, and what programs we could activate to support what was already being done. With the support of our funders and local partners, the RRT helped distribute aid in the form of linens, disco cots (beds), hygiene items, food, and vitamins. I went with the team to the warehouse to pack up the beds and to a hotel where the Gupta Family Foundation had generously donated clean and fresh linens and pillows for the beds.

Going to the churches and distributing the aid was a key learning moment for me as I was able to experience firsthand the importance of coordination and time management when providing relevant and meaningful aid. Seeing diverse members of the community come together at these churches and offer their help was such a powerful moment for my colleagues and I, and reminded us of the positive impact all of us can help bring forth. Witnessing firsthand the living conditions of asylum seekers in the impromptu church shelters, we knew that the facility had well past its limit. The WASH facilities, including toilets and showers, at the churches are not enough for everyone, resulting in long wait times and concerns over sanitation and hygiene standards. Additionally, the facilities did not have the means to provide laundry services, which adds to the issue of hygiene. In response to this, GlobalMedic worked to provide laundry access, by first establishing a safe connection point and ventilation, followed by a washer and dryer unit at Revivaltime Tabernacle. With access to clean clothes, the affected asylum seekers can reestablish good hygiene practices. Most importantly, placing a focus on their health and hygiene needs helps bring them a step closer to adequate living standards and maintains a person’s confidence and dignity.

Interning During this Response – Hawie

As an intern at GlobalMedic, I was able to experience our coordination efforts first hand. While the asylum seekers had a roof over their heads, there was still an overwhelming amount of need. A Rapid Response Team consisting of myself, an Emergency Programs Officer and trained volunteers was sent out to deliver the right aid to the right people at the right time. We visited Revivaltime Tabernacle Church, which was housing roughly 270 asylum seekers. We brought them essential hygiene products, like soap, shampoo and conditioner, vitamins, and a variety of non-perishable food items. The food we delivered was from GlobalMedic’s McAntony’s Menu program, an emergency food program designed to meet the food security needs in Toronto. We also delivered sleeping cots, and worked together to teach the asylum seekers how to correctly assemble them. Following our visit, we organized the delivery of a washing machine and dryer, along with different laundry supplies. This made it possible for asylum seekers to do their laundry without having to worry about travel or service costs.

Delivering Hygiene Items to Revivaltime Tabernacle Church

As a daughter of refugees, I immediately empathized with the asylum seekers. I understood the challenges they may have experienced while trying to build a better life for themselves and their families. Being able to contribute to such a meaningful response was very impactful for me. I was also able to understand the importance of coordination in a domestic crisis, and observe the immediate impact of aid programming.

Ongoing Support

As Toronto continues to struggle with the refugee crisis, it’s clear that additional funding and coordination is needed. The situation requires serious attention, and as it evolves, GlobalMedic continues to offer its support. Working with local communities and organizations will only strengthen our efforts in creating comprehensive solutions and delivering aid to individuals that need it the most. Together, we can make a difference and support those who seek refuge in Canada.

Ukraine Conflict Response 2022-2025

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An estimated 8.1 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022 making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. Neighbouring countries have seen waves of refugees crossing their borders, seeking safety and support. In addition, at the peak more than 8 million people were internally displaced. Although some people have returned home, there are still approximately 3.6 million IDPs in Ukraine. Many families have fled their homes with very little and the humanitarian crisis continues to grow as the conflict wears on. 12.7 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2025.

GlobalMedic has worked closely with local Ukrainian partners over the years, and with our network of partners and Rapid Response Team members we are supporting Ukrainians who have been impacted due to the increased violence. Please consider a donation to our current response.

Moldova

Since the beginning of the crisis, more than 535,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into Moldova. Our Rapid Response Team is on the ground in Moldova and is working with our local partners to support the intake of refugees into Moldova. We began by working to distribute food and hygiene items to refugees in Moldova, setting up on the Ukrainian border to provide immediate assistance to entering refugees and procuring additional items required by temporary shelters as they emerged. Our ready to eat meal program distributed more than 12,980 meals to refugees in transit at local train stations, as well as to refugees staying in shelters.

We have set up an emergency food kit program in Moldova whereby kits are assembled which contain locally procured, culturally appropriate staple foods including rice, beans, potatoes and cabbage. These kits are then distributed to Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan host families, with some being transported back across the border to Odesa. We have distributed more than 259,000 of these kits in Moldova and sent an additional 650 kits across the border into Ukraine. We have also distributed 8,820 Family Emergency Kits in the rural areas surrounding Chisinau, providing access to clean drinking water and essential hygiene items to families who have relocated there.

Hot meals being served to Ukrainian refugees crossing the Moldovan border

A woman getting supplies at soup kitchen in Moldova

A child eating food at a soup kitchen in Moldova

Romania

More than 830,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into Romania since conflict broke out in Ukraine. Our Rapid Response Team is on the ground in Romania running our operations. With our local partners, we are providing Ukrainian refugees with food, hygiene items and shelter. We are supporting the renovation of a dormitory to host additional refugees and are actively working to make sure that newly arrived refugees have access to support to meet their basic needs through the purchase of items like mattresses, bedding and cleaning supplies. We initially also supported aid convoys running cross-border operations into Ukraine. Daily humanitarian convoys were running in small vans to deliver food aid, hygiene items and medical supplies which have been distributed in several Ukrainian cities including Chernivtsi, Kyiv and Kharkiv.

We have also set up an emergency food kit packing program in Romania. Locally procured food items are being assembled into kits by our RRT members and local volunteers. These kits are being distributed in Romania as well as across the border in Ukraine. To date, more than 56,600 food kits have been distributed through this program.

GlobalMedic volunteers in Canada have also been assembling emergency food kits which we are sending to support our Romanian operations. So far an additional 1,600 kits have been transported from Canada to our program in Suceava where they were then distributed across the border in Ukraine.

Aid being put together for cross-border delivery

Ukraine

We are working with our long time local partners in Ukraine to provide assistance to people who have been displaced due to the conflict. During the initial wave of migration, GlobalMedic and our partners took over a hotel restaurant in Lviv to supply free hot meals to displaced people seeking safety from the violence. Our team also set up at a train station in Lviv to provide those in transit with hearty food. Through that program we supported 3,825 people with food support. We are now running this program in Odessa and Lutsk to support IDPs and local residents who remain there. Meals are prepared every day on a rotating menu to provide variety but also nutritious options. This program has distributed 117,857 meals to date.

We have opened a number of food hamper packing sites inside Ukraine. The hampers at these sites are prepared using all locally sourced products and local staff and volunteers are supporting their production. The hampers are then distributed to food insecure families across the country. We have delivered over 208,900 hampers through this program. We are also supplying hygiene kits through similar channels, distributing 20,000 kits to date.

We are facilitating cross-border shipments into Ukraine. In partnership with Airlink, Air Canada and Ukrainian Medical Support, we sent a shipment of trauma supplies and essential medicines to support hospitals and displaced persons. This shipment was flown to Poland and then trucked to Lviv. We also supported a shipment of hygiene items from Poland to UNICEF operations in Lviv.

We flew a second shipment containing Emergency Food Kits assembled by GlobalMedic volunteers in Canada. These kits were also flown to Poland and then trucked to Lutsk. The kits contain pantry staple items as well as things like solar lights, water purification tablets, Procter & Gamble Purifier of water sachets, and some first aid kits. The first aid kits were designed by a GlobalMedic volunteer who has trained paramedic students around the world. Students from Humber College’s Paramedic Program created instructions on how to use the First Aid Kit on common, trauma-related injuries. Working with Humber’s instructors and students, GlobalMedic filmed instructional videos where Humber’s paramedic students demonstrated how to use the contents of the First Aid Kits and some of GlobalMedic’s Ukrainian-speaking volunteers translated and spoke in the videos so the instructions are clear for those in Ukraine. We have continued sending air cargo on a weekly basis to various locations in Europe for further transport into Ukraine and have distributed more than 44,180 Emergency Food Kits and 42,748 Family Emergency Kits to affected families in Ukraine.

Medical supplies being loaded onto and Air Canada flight

Refugee Voices – Irina

Refugee Voices – Evhenia

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Our Response in Ukraine is supported in part by

World Water Day 2021

Emma Graham – Emergency Programs Intern

Water is life. That’s what they say, right? We couldn’t agree more. Water is the most valuable resource we have, and this World Water Day 2021, we are Valuing Water more than ever.

World Water Day began in 1993, as one of the United Nations’ Observance Days, with the purpose of paying a little extra attention to this important conversation. This annual event may be happening virtually this March 22nd, but it is still with the ultimate goal of achieving clean water and sanitation for all by 2030, as SDG 6. This World Water Day, the UN is highlighting the endless possibilities of water and asking us all to look a little deeper at what water means to our lives.

Water has an imperative yet complex role in the global network. Access to clean water is a human right of all yet, it remains an ongoing crisis with over 2.1 billion people having inconsistent access. Lack of access to clean water is a vital piece of numerous global crises, so when clean water is more accessible, disease is reduced, global sanitation is improved, people are healthier, and the natural environment is better cared for. Water is not an infinite or replaceable resource – it requires careful use and protection, in order to be valuable to everyone. Right now, water is being misused, commoditized and monopolized, and it is not being valued for its potential benefit to everyone.

For the individuals experiencing crisis and disaster, clean water is a true rarity. Lack of access to clean water and bacteria-infected water has been an ongoing crisis in Bangladesh since the beginning of the refugee crisis in 2017. With more than 860,000 Rohingya refugees currently living in Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh, the infrastructure is overwhelmed, and individual sanitation measures are compromised. Water is even less accessible and with the impending flooding from monsoon season, water is at even greater risk for cholera contamination. Refugees and host communities alike are experiencing inconsistent access to clean water as “more than 70% of households in Cox’s Bazar rely on tube-wells fitted with hand-pumps to collect their water”. “Recent water testing in several refugee camps found that at least 52% of hand-pumps show signs of e-coli contamination.”

GlobalMedic is responding.

In order to keep these communities safe and healthy, GlobalMedic provided 7,380 Family Emergency Kits to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in 2020. The kits contained hygiene items, a solar light and portable water purification system. The water purification system consists of two plastic buckets, one with a purifying system inside. The system offers a simple setup and allows portability, understanding that families may be displaced at any time but will always require access to clean water. Families rely on this system to provide them with the clean water they need for cooking, drinking, cleaning, washing and managing their daily lives. With this system, Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi families will decrease their likelihood of contracting cholera or other water-borne diseases and be better equipped to practice safe sanitation measures.

Water is an ongoing life-giving resource to individuals everywhere, but particularly in over-crowded places with underprepared infrastructures, such as refugee camps. GlobalMedic recognizes the multidimensional value of water worldwide and acts to ensure that everyone can access it. Because valuing water is about so much more than its monetary value and economic purposes – it is a source of life, health, prosperity and dignity. Today and every day, we need to truly understand the multiple and complex ways that water supports and affects life, if we are going to be able to protect it for years to come.

What does water mean to you? Join the conversation. #WorldWaterDay #WWD2021