Globeducate Schools Respond to Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis

The war in Ukraine affects all of us in Globeducate but, in particular, many members of our global community of bilingual and international schools face a personal impact. Many of our schools have students from families from both Ukraine and Russia, and surrounding countries. We have families with relations living in both countries, and we are reaching out to them on a school level. As an education group our role is to support all of our teachers, and other members of staff in schools, in providing the pastoral care needed by our children and young adults, those who may be experiencing distress or confusion at this time, and those who may be simply processing what they see and hear in the news.

One of our key pillars is to nurture global perspectives and, through our learning communities, global events and curricula, we encourage students to respect and appreciate the ideas, perspectives and values of others, and we build their understanding of world events. Our mission is to prepare each student to become a global citizen who can shape the world, and this involves giving them the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge ignorance and intolerance wherever they find it.

Globeducate promotes values of peace and friendship, and our group values echo the values of the United Nations. We support the work that our students, teachers and parents are doing to collect essential equipment and items needed to support all of those displaced by this conflict, thank all of those who are being so proactive, and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution.

What are we doing?

Our school communities were quick to respond to calls for donations of emergency supplies, such as Cambridge House Community College in Valencia, Spain, working with their local Ukraine association (Photo above) to ensure items are delivered to the points in Ukraine where they are needed most. In our GBIS schools, such as Nobel Algarve British International School in Lagoa and Almancil, Portugal, students are working in their Houses, also collecting for the growing number of refugees caused by the conflict and working with the local Ukraine association.

As a group we feel it is appropriate to support the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is active on the ground in Ukraine. The response in Europe to calls for donations of essential clothing, medication, toiletries and blankets has been fast, and now ICRC is calling for donations of money above all else, which will be directed to the Ukraine disaster response team. Below are links for donating to ICRC but please note that this is simply a suggestion as an additional step we can take.

For any families or those associated with Globeducate who are personally affected by the crisis in Ukraine, please feel the support of our global community and know that we come together in solidarity with all of those affected.