My sister and I grew up in two war zones — Nigeria during the Biafran War, and Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War. As a Korean War veteran, my father had witnessed the devastation of war on the civilian population, and the effects of war on the people fighting it. He served in a MASH unit and later in a Neuro Psychiatric (NP) unit and volunteered at an orphanage in his spare time.
As an officer in Bank of America, he spent a significant part of his career as the “Man on the Spot” helping customers out of war zones, and helping them re-start their businesses and their lives.
I was reminded of this recently when I read the latest article about Enamine, the Ukrainian chemicals company, and the recent struggles they’ve faced in keeping their employees safe and resuming their operations. Current estimates indicate that approximately 1/3 of the Ukrainian people have evacuated to nearby countries and another third are internally displaced.
We stand firmly with those struggling to assert their basic human right for self-determination. We stand with the Ukrainians, we stand with the Russian free press who walked out of their newsroom en masse and the thousands of ordinary Russian protesters arrested for speaking out. We stand with the aid workers in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria struggling to keep up with the growing tide of refugees.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve all seen the horrific news from Ukraine. It is all too easy to be overwhelmed by it, and to think “what can I do”.
How can you help?
- If you work for a company currently doing business with Russia, or your 401K includes stock in Russian companies, consider divestment.
- If you’re in a leadership position at a biotech company, consider signing the pledge.
- If you can afford an AirBnB “vacation” in Ukraine, reserve a room now.
- If you can give to aid organizations, do so. Here is a list of aid organizations that need your help.
- If you can speak out at protests, make your voice heard.
As my cousin Crista’s First Graders recently discovered when they raised money to help a Ukrainian family, even the smallest of people can make a difference in the lives of others.