Hugs, tears and a faint glimmer of hope could all be seen this morning on the arrival of the bus of the Universidad Católica de Murcia, with 37 refugees from the war in Ukraine to the Campus de Los Jerónimos, where loved ones were waiting for them. Among the new arrivals, mostly women with their children, as most of the men have stayed in Ukraine to fight in the war; the sister of a UCAM student (who was hugged); many Ukrainian family members and friends of people living in the provinces of Murcia and Alicante, including a family of six members.

The UCAM University Platform for Peace has had a twofold function in its first humanitarian mission: the delivery of humanitarian material, which arrived yesterday, Saturday, at the Polish university of Katowice (collaborating with the initiative) and assisting these refugees, to bring them to Murcia, away from the war, and providing them with accommodation and aid.

José Luis Mendoza, president of the Universidad Católica, who welcomed the refugees to the campus, stressed that "we are very moved by everything we are experiencing. Our institution is at the service of all of the refugees, and we are going to help them in any way we can, hoping that this war will soon be over". For María Mendoza, head of the Platform and member of the expedition, "it has been very hard, because we have seen entire families there with all their belongings on the ground", and she recalled that the Platform will monitor "all the people we have brought, so that they feel sheltered. Many have been taken in by their families, others by the Administration and also by UCAM, but they all know that they can count on us to help them start a life here that is as normal as possible.

Stories of pain and gratitude

"We have left hell and now our only goal is to live", said an elderly woman from Kiev, who has arrived in Murcia with her daughter and granddaughter, "we lost everything, but now we have food and the warmth of those who have brought us here".

One of the mothers, together with her children, said that "we are fleeing the war, but we now have relief in our hearts". Another woman from Kharkov said, "My daughter, my grandson and I are here. We lost our house on the first day of the war. We went to the metro without any hope and thank God some friends told us about this humanitarian mission".

Another woman arrived from Berdichev with her mother, explaining that "we are fleeing a reality of bombs, of unlivable conditions. We are very grateful to find people who help in this way and who provide us with accommodation and food".

Cooperation of individuals, companies, and institutions

Individuals, companies and institutions such as the INCYDE Foundation, Marvimundo, Aurbus, ESP Solutions, Disfrimur, Asterra Partners, Unit Seguros and BLP Motoenlace have collaborated with this UCAM initiative, together with the Spanish Olympic Committee.

Collaborate with the University Platform for Peace

Through its website (peace.ucam.edu) you can continue to collaborate with the Platform in four ways: volunteering, provision of services, accommodation for refugees and monetary contributions (Bizum: 05056).

UCAM Murcia - Breogán ACB Charity Match

As in the last home game against Hereda San Pablo Burgos, the next UCAM Murcia CB match will be played on Wednesday (8:30 p.m.) against Breogán, with the proceeds once again going towards supporting victims of the war in Ukraine.