A PLACE OF REFUGE

ACCOMMODATION IS BEING PROVIDED AT ESKER FOR UKRAINIANS FLEEING THE WAR IN THEIR HOME COUNTRY

BY BRENDAN CALLANAN CSsR

Fr Brendan Callanan CSsR, rector of Esker

Within weeks of the Redemptorists deciding to bring their presence in Esker to an end, the plight of the people of Ukraine became headline news. The shocking scenes reported in the media underlined the need to support people displaced from their homeland because of foreign aggression.

In this context, the Redemptorist Provincial Council decided to make the facilities in Esker available to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. Contact was made with the relevant government department and, so, from mid-July the retreat house and the youth village were made available. At the end of the year, the monastery, where the Redemptorists currently live, will also be made available. While the Redemptorists made the buildings available, the Government nominated a local firm to manage the undertaking, for example providing meals, ensuring there are facilities for washing clothes, etc.

On July 15, 96 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Esker. By the end of July, the number had increased to approximately 140. Though they were arriving into a very strange environment, a sense of relief was evident amongst them. One could also get a sense of the anxiety which they were experiencing. After all, they had left loved ones behind and were being informed of the ongoing atrocities in their homeland. Communication with family and friends in Ukraine is vitally important. Unfortunately, the rollout of the national broadband plan has not reached this area yet, but hopefully it will sooner rather than later.

The people who arrived in Esker are from several different places in Ukraine, but certainly some from Odessa and Mariupol, placenames already familiar to us. Apart from their own family members the arrivals did not know one another. There are some very good English speakers in the group, and this has been hugely important as they act as translators in many different situations.

Representatives of several government departments/ agencies have been to Esker to facilitate the inclusion of these people into Irish society. More specifically, this means providing PPS numbers in order to access social welfare benefits; making arrangements for the children to go to school; providing opportunities, for those who are interested, to learn English; facilitating access to medical assistance; exploring possibilities of employment in the area.

The local community in the Esker area has been very supportive from the beginning. A committee of locals has been put in place to act as an interface between the community and the Ukrainians. The committee liaises with them to discern appropriate ways of providing help. An early example of this was the provision of toys for the children. The support of local people is hugely important and is greatly appreciated by the Ukrainians.

One cannot lose sight of the fact that these people have been through severe trauma. Even though we may not know the details of it, we can be certain that their suffering has been immense, and it is not over yet. This context serves to underline the importance of local community support on an ongoing basis.