Support for refugees with SCI

ESCIF safehouse shelter in Cyców

War and suffering continue, so does aid

The shelter of the European Spinal Cord Injury Federation (ESCIF) in Cyców, Poland provided care for refugees with disabilities from the beginning of April until the end of September with logistical and financial support from the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation and the German Spinal Injuries Association (FGQ). The shelter has now been closed, but the help for the SCI community in Ukraine continues.

In March, all organisations involved had still hoped that the shelter might not be needed for the full projected six months. In the meantime, it has become very clear that the war in Ukraine and its aftermath will occupy us for a long time to come. Nevertheless, we are trying to look constructively into the future and to anticipate what kind of support can be offered in the most targeted and efficient way. The European paraplegic associations will continue to be involved in the development of services in Ukraine and Poland launched by the WHO and the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS). In addition, ESCIF, together with the Ukrainian partner organisations, project partners and sponsors, supports the care of people with spinal cord paralysis in Ukraine. This is a great challenge, especially in view of the approaching winter. Further care for the refugees in the individual countries will be provided by the ESCIF member organisations.

The continued operation of the safe house does not seem to make sense at the moment due to the lack of resources for the accommodation and rehabilitation of spinal cord injured refugees in the European countries. In addition, the organisations involved in the aid project are noticing a growing refusal on the part of the local authorities to accept and support further refugees with disabilities from Ukraine. With the help of the highly committed volunteers of the Maltese Order, trips between the Polish-Ukrainian border region and the long-term shelters have been made almost every week since end of March. The disabled refugees and their relatives, a total of more than 200 people, were distributed to shelters in Germany, Switzerland, Finland, the Czech Republic, Austria and the Netherlands as well as in England, where they continue to be cared for by the local organisations and in many cases have already settled in well.