During the first 90 days of the war in Ukraine, over 6million refugees fled to other nations, A further 7million were displaced internally, making this the largest movement of people in Europe since World War II.
In response, 72 Christian leaders from 22 European countries recently gathered in Krakow, Poland, to focus on the war and refugee crisis. The five countries that have received the most refugees (Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Slovakia) admitted they are overwhelmed and can no longer handle the ongoing flow of highly-traumatised women and children.
The Christian Ukrainian Collaboration, as the meeting was called, seeks to enable organisations, denominations and churches to collaborate in order to serve Ukrainian people. Although mission agencies and churches have responded individually, better collaboration is needed to handle this massive humanitarian crisis. In addition, most funding and energy has concentrated on short-term relief efforts, rather than longer-term needs.
The Collaboration heard that the current crisis requires a multi-disciplinary approach, so it invited business and financial leaders, educational specialists, anti-human trafficking advocates, and mental health care professionals, as well as churches and Christian groups, to take part. A vital part of the gathering was hearing the perspective of the Ukrainian leaders, and better connecting them with evangelicals across Europe.
The programme was based around five core ministry areas: Relief and Rebuilding; Emotional Wellbeing and Families; Establishing Community and Integration within Local Churches; Empowering and Equipping Leadership; and Communication and Coordinating Partnerships
Over the next few months, it is envisaged that many new regional networks will link together, and various leaders (Ukrainian, women, church and mission) will be invited to join the Christian Ukraine Collaboration Core Team. As conference space, budget and time was limited, organisers believe there are many other men and women who God is lifting up in this crisis, for leading the response and planning a coordinated action for their nation, as well as those fleeing war and devastation.
