Financial solidarity played a full role in Toulon and in the Var from the start of the conflict in Ukraine. “We immediately contacted our partners on site in Ukraine, Poland and Romania to find out what needs were needed in the first instance”.
“The call for solidarity has been heard and the collections organized by the Secours populaire have met with broad support. In the Var, 10,000 euros in donations have thus been collected. About fifty families have been helped, in particular in kyiv, the capital”, explain Murielle Laure and Olivier Masini, from Secours Populaire in Toulon.
During an important stage, they recalled the ethic of “Secours pop”: we must not fill trucks with products that cannot be used by the populations, but collect money so that our partners on site can buy the necessary without disrupting the economic circuit.
By handing over the products that people consume and know how to use.
“We do not export solidarity”
“This is why financial means are essential. We scrupulously ensure the traceability of all donations. For our association, we do not export solidarity but rely on a network of reliable local partners”, they add, in accordance with the precepts of the aid group.
The people of Var are therefore invited to continue their financial donations but not to send en masse (clothing for example) which would be useless once in Ukraine.
“On the other hand, we were able to send important hygiene kits, soap and SIM cards for telephone conversations between distant members of the same family.”
Prior to all this, the two Var missions made it possible to identify local needs and “target” emergency assistance to be provided.
“Refugees, not migrants”
However, the Secours populaire recalls that, on our soil, very many people have also fled their countries at war. “They are often referred to as migrants. However, they are also refugees”, rightly points out Olivier Masini.
At the same time, the Toulon branch of the association works on a daily basis to help people in difficulty in the metropolis and the department. “We act near and also very far. For example, our efforts have continued in Madagascar and Burkina Faso”explains Murielle Laure.
“In Madagascar, we made it possible to rebuild a school thanks to donations and, in Burkina Faso, it was possible to get children back to school. These are small victories!”
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