Ukraine and Russia war

The situation has a major impact on the well-being of researchers, lecturers and other staff in our BUas community. Of course, for those with family or friends in the region, but possibly also for employees who sympathise and are concerned.

We can imagine that this worrying situation leads to discussions in the classroom and elsewhere, and possibly also leads to tensions. Remember that wars are rarely, if ever, started by ordinary citizens, but that it is the leaders who send men and women into war. Since we want to provide a safe learning and working environment for all our students and staff, we request everyone to have a respectful conversation with each other.

Do you have questions, are you worried, or do you run into problems? As a student, please contact your student counsellor or coach/mentor. Contact details are available via BUas intranet on Student counsellors (sharepoint.com). As a BUas staff member, please contact your supervisor or your (academy) MT-member.

The people of Ukraine urgently need help. Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced. Families are separated from each other. They live in fear and uncertainty. We can help with food, shelter, medical care, and clean drinking water. You can also help.

BUas supports initiatives which support Ukraine. We received several messages and ideas from students and staff and students looking for ways to support Ukraine and Ukrainian families. BUas strongly advises to join the larger and organised initiatives for this purpose.

Giro 555 and BUas

A well organised and strong initiative is Giro555 by 11 jointly collaborating relief organisations such as OXFAM Novib, Save the Children, Red Cross and Cordaid. BUas opened and supports a specific fundraising account for this campaign. Please check BUas Community (inactievoorgiro555.nl) and donate.

Handjes in de Koepel

The images of the war in Ukraine and of the refugees make a deep impression on all of us. We feel a bond with the people of Ukraine. It is clear that the people of Breda are ready to offer help and shelter where possible. With no less than 2,300 volunteers we have made De Koepel a pleasant place to stay for up to 370 refugees.

Heart-warming initiatives  
The feeling of solidarity and togetherness gives rise to all kinds of heart-warming and concrete initiatives. We do this together with the city; with inhabitants, partners and entrepreneurs. Everyone wants to do 'something'. And to do more.

Breda has a historic twinning arrangement with the Polish city of Wroclaw. One of the first city-wide initiatives of Breda Makes Me Happy (BMMB) and the City of Breda was to collect goods and take them to our Polish sister city Wroclaw. Wroclaw has already received more than 100,000 refugees. That is asking a lot from this city and that is why we offer support where we can. There is now a particular need for goods such as long-life food, medicines and nappies.

Under the flag #BredavoorUkraine, we will be collecting relief goods and organising transport in the months to come. The wish is to maintain a continuous air bridge with Wroclaw. This is only possible with everyone's help and contribution.

Together in action for residents  
Everyone can do their bit when it comes to collecting goods. For more information and to find out which products or goods are needed, please go to  www.bredavooroekraine.nl (Draag bij voor particulieren).

*Drop-off time at De Koepel: Nassausingel 26 at the reception desk, either before 09.00 hrs or after 18.00 hrs. 

Together in action for entrepreneurs  
Entrepreneurs are also called upon to collect relief goods in order to keep the intended continuous flow of relief goods to Wroclaw going. For more information, please visit www.bredavooroekraine.nl (Draag bij voor bedrijven).

Other initiatives

If new initiatives arise, eg. by the Breda community, BUas will publish these here. If you want to report an initiative, please mail to ukraine@buas.nl.

BUas will facilitate a temporary ‘BUas Club’ of students who want to cooperate to discuss the Ukraine situation and/or want to initiate or support specific activities. More information about this, will be published here.

Initiatives:

• Laying the foundation. Every little bit helps in supporting Ukraine and Ukrainians, but students (and staff) who aspire to go the extra mile and want to help set up and run a semi-professional foundation to raise funds for Ukraine on a structural basis are cordially invited to send an email to Dirk Broeren, lecturer in Law at AHF. An initial and noncommittal Teams meeting to explore options will be scheduled soon.

• Send some heat to Ukraine. During the Christmas holidays, Tourism lecturer Gerard Gielen is going to bring generators to Ukraine and you can support him. Gerard and Fred, a friend, had planned to help Ukraine already during the summer. Gerard says: ’The arrival of the cold winter and the brutal Russian attack on all Ukrainian power plants was the last straw for us, so we decided to start driving ourselves. Freezing cold must not become a weapon of Russia and this war must be stopped!’ They contacted a Ukrainian student who helped them to find a destination, and a place to cross the border. After Christmas, they will drive to Ukraine to bring them as many diesel generators as possible. You can support them by transferring money to G Gielen NL87 ABNA 0520 1413 18 mentioning 'HEAT'. Every bit of heat will help!

BUas Student Office monitors the situation from a travel perspective. We basically follow the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Please check Information from the government of the Netherlands. For Ukraine, the travel advice is obviously red, which means that travelling to and from this country is not allowed. We urgently advise against travelling to Russia or Belarus. For specific advice, please contact travelabroad@buas.nl.

BUas will continue to support and facilitate new students from Russia and Belarus in their admission- and enrolment-process. Given the situation, BUas will suspend the current partnerships with Russian and Belarus business partners and knowledge institutes who have organisational relationships with the Russian or Belarus government. No new partnerships will be initiated. With this decision we are following the measures of the united Dutch knowledge institutions, based on the urgent appeal of the Dutch government and the Ministry of Education. This is supported by eg. the Vereniging Hogescholen (association of Dutch universities of applied sciences) and Universiteiten van Nederland (association of Dutch universities).

This decision entails the immediate freeze of all formal and institutional collaboration with educational and knowledge institutions in the Russian Federation and Belarus until further notice.  The knowledge community in the Netherlands supports this call, but also regrets its consequences for education and research. Research flourishes through international collaboration and the open exchange of knowledge, insights and ideas. That is why we do not only take these measures, but we also support Russian and Belarusian researchers, lecturers, students and organisations who are speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine.