The war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has caused a major humanitarian crisis. Bombs continuously threaten cities where the lives of thousands and thousands of people are in danger, and have already caused more than 6.8 million to flee to seek refuge in other countries.
The HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR project arose from the urgent need to flee a country at war in search of a country at peace. The humanitarian corridor is a safe, effective and regular route from Lviv to Barcelona. The aim is to facilitate the evacuation of particularly vulnerable families who are fleeing because their lives are in danger. This project has been approved and receives logistical support from the Human Rights Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, as well as collaboration from various local NGOs.
HOW DID THE CORRIDOR COME ABOUT?
Since the beginning of the conflict, ASL has sought to respond to the humanitarian crisis that was unfolding. On 9 March, ASL staff travelled to the Ukraine-Poland border to assess the situation and the possibilities for intervention.
At the end of March, a campaign was launched to send medical supplies to hospitals that were running low. The campaign secured the collaboration of FAHID (Humanitarian Aid and Development Fund for the Clinical Hospital), Alliance Healthcare Spain and the company Sassatex. FAHID provided us with medical and healthcare supplies, Alliance contributed healthcare supplies, and Sassatex provided personal protective equipment for firefighters. Between 29 March and 2 April, four ASL volunteers made their first trip with two vans loaded with all the supplies that had been collected through the campaign: nearly 200 boxes and 500 kg.
Through the contacts made by ASL volunteers during this first trip, it was decided that it would be more efficient to collaborate with an existing initiative that was in line with our objective and made efficient use of available resources. Among the proposals, one stood out from two volunteers from the ‘Casa Nostra, Casa Vostra’ platform, who were already responding to the need to evacuate war victims via a safe route. Thus, the ‘Lviv-Barcelona humanitarian corridor’ project was born.
ASL quickly embraced the initiative, mobilising to offer all the organisational, technical and logistical support and co-leading the project alongside other organisations such as the Human Rights Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, the Red Cross and FAHID, among others.
WHAT WE DO: THE CORRIDOR, STEP BY STEP.
The mechanism for each convoy is quite similar. A coach with two professional drivers is hired in Ukraine, which picks up the evacuees in Lviv, from where it begins its journey to Barcelona.
There are two stops along the way, where several Red Cross reception centres provide support so that families can sleep and rest. Food and drink are provided throughout the journey, as well as medical and psychological assistance. They also receive detailed information on the procedures required to apply for Temporary Protection in Spain. This permit will be valid for a minimum of one year and may be extended depending on the situation in Ukraine. The rights under European Directive 2001/55/EC on temporary protection include a residence permit, access to the labour market and housing, medical assistance and access to education for children.
On some occasions, free accommodation has been provided during the journey to Slovenia (Velenje) and France (Nice), but this is not a contractual requirement, which means that on some convoys, accommodation costs have had to be covered during the journey. After three long days of travelling, the coach arrives at Fira de Barcelona, and ASL accompanies the people throughout the reception process carried out by the Red Cross. The coach itself is sent back to Ukraine, once again filled with humanitarian aid.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASSISTED
On the first trip at the end of March, ASL was able to transfer 9 people (6 women and 3 minors, accompanied by 3 pets) to Catalonia.
On 29 April, 45 people (17 minors) belonging to 20 family units were transferred.
On 5 May, 46 people (14 minors) from a total of 22 family units were transferred.
On 10 June, 50 people were transferred on the Open Arms humanitarian flight, which provided the seats.
On 11 June, another 50 people were also transferred.
Two coaches are scheduled to depart: one at the end of June and another at the beginning of July, each carrying 50 people.
In total, 200 people have already been evacuated, and the total number is expected to rise to 300 by the beginning of July.
HOW WE DO IT: WHO FINANCES US.
Initially, all donations came from local citizens and businesses who collaborated in solidarity and enabled us to start the project. Subsequently, we have also received funding from Fons Català, which has contributed to the continuity of the project.
In addition, partnerships have been established with local NGOs, making it much easier to distribute materials within the country and carry out the project with the involvement of Ukrainian organisations.
At the same time, thanks to the initiative of volunteers, charity events have been held, such as the Cinefórum S.O.S Refugiats (19/04/22), the Charity Concert in Sant Just Desvern (20/05/22) and the CORREDOR HUMANITARIO Charity Concert in Sant Cugat del Vallès (19/06/22).
The war continues, and so does our work. In order to continue, the project needs to keep receiving support. At ASL, we are still looking for resources to keep the corridor running, as the waiting list now exceeds 1,000 families: mainly women and children trapped in Mariupol, Donetsk and Kharkiv.
FURTHER INFORMATION: Humanitarian Corridor
