The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a global impact, including on Ukrainian students at the University of Windsor, and professors Jamey Essex and Sally Bick have issued a call for donations to a support fund.

“Due to the ongoing conflict, students are unable to return home and their families are living under crisis,” Dr. Bick told the University Senate at its May 13 meeting.

“The conflict has come right to our doorsteps. We need to help because banks in Ukraine are shuttered or cut off and students have found their normal sources of financial support evaporated.”

Bick cited a third-year student, who described her situation this way:

“In Ukraine, my family had to evacuate my hometown of Kharkiv, which is being heavily bombed and comes to ruins day by day. My father and my siblings are internally displaced within Ukraine, my mother escaped to the Czech Republic, and I’m here in Windsor, knowing that my Ukrainian friends and family are struggling for survival.”

The University has committed to help with housing and work opportunities, but there are expenses beyond what the University can provide, Bick and Essex noted.

They called for contributions to the Student Emergency Bursary Fund, targeting Ukrainian students. All donations are eligible for a tax receipt. Learn how to help by making a gift online.