Giving back and supporting the Ukrainian People

As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, Tugela People encourage their employees to ‘give back’ to the community by allocating three days of paid leave a year to get involved with a charitable cause/s. Volunteering time is not limited to during working hours and can be claimed back.

Many of our team are already engaged with charities and give their time to various causes. We had the opportunity to catch up with two of the team that have recently been involved in supporting groups set up to assist the people affected by the war in Ukraine.

Yasmine Martin has been volunteering for a group set up in her local area to provide support, in the form of much-needed supplies, for those affected by the war in Ukraine.

Yasmine said, “ Today was my second day helping a group of volunteers from the Central Beds Ukraine Appeal group. I helped pack vital supplies for an orphanage in Poland who have recently welcomed over 60 Ukrainian children – children who have either been orphaned or separated from their parents following the outbreak of the war. The small group is based out of Clophill church in Bedfordshire and has had extensive media and social media coverage and much support from local villages around Bedfordshire.

The community group, set up by two friends, are in regular contact with the orphanage in Poland and so can update the donations list. Donations have been pouring into the church, including gifts from children at local schools and Easter Eggs.

 I helped sort and pack toiletries, baby clothes, baby food, nappies, medicines, medical equipment and food. In an attempt to bring back some normality and kindness to the people whose lives have been torn apart since the Russian invasion, toys and books are also being included to keep the children entertained, in addition to special boxes (containing hair products, body spray and shower gels) for teenage girls.

This has been an ongoing effort to help Ukrainian refugees, and the group, set up three weeks ago, have already filled two lorry loads of supplies. The two lorries, funded by a ‘GoFundMe’ page set up by the group, have now arrived in Moldova, where a local charity has set up help points for Ukrainian refugees. One of the great things about supporting this group of volunteers who have direct contact with an orphanage, as opposed to a large charity organisation, is that we can actually see where the support is going and establish a great relationship. The group has already started to receive thank you cards from children at the orphanage, and a real rapport is being established. ”.  

Charlotte Edwards, also keen to give back to the community, has recently been involved in a couple of volunteering campaigns through the Tove Benefice. The first event saw over 25 tonnes of donated items sorted, packed and delivered directly to Kyiv and, more recently, to Koblynica, a refugee centre in Poland.

Charlotte helped sort and box up items such as hygiene products, slippers, medicines, long term foodstuffs, batteries and torches, part of a specified list issued and all donated by the local community.

When asked about her time volunteering, Charlotte said, “Part of the reason I work part-time is not only to be able to support my family and get a good life-work balance but also so that I can contribute to worthwhile causes. It is great to be able to ‘give-back’ and physically do something that can benefit others. On one occasion, two Ukrainian ladies turned up at the church – one a local resident, the other a recent refugee from Ukraine. It was eye-opening to hear first-hand about the experiences and hardships endured due to the war and see how much they appreciated what the community was doing.  My 5-year-old daughter also dropped off donations to the church and was able to see the difference the community was able to make. ”

 To learn more about our volunteering and other CSR initiatives, visit our website.