Dear families,

AMPA joins the school management in its complete and unconditional support of the Ukrainian people facing tragedy and suffering as a result of the war. So far, 1.5 million refugees, mainly women and children, have been uprooted and are seeking a safe haven away from the bombing and shelling of their home towns.

Now more than ever we have to remind ourselves of the values of the European Schools such as mutual respect, tolerance, respect of cultural and other diversity and the strong belief in a peaceful settlement of conflicts – and act accordingly.

Spain and Alicante may be far away from the border to Ukraine, but countless organisations as well as individual people in our neighbourhood have mobilised resources to provide help and support in different ways. The three largest refugee reception centers in Spain are located in Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante.

It is likely that a considerable number of refugees will reach our town and they will need our assistance. AMPA will use the tools already in place to help refugees get settled and find some kind of normality in their involuntary exile. From now on, we shall regularly update our web site with up-to-date information and suggestions about how families can help.

One immediate measure that we propose is to activate the Family Buddy system:

Parents who speak Ukrainian or Russian are kindly asked to contact the Family Buddy coordinator Kirstin Weber (familybuddy@ampaescuelaeuropea.com) so that we can update our database and propose contact persons who can provide assistance if newcomers would need help and guidance in these languages.

We are very happy that the Office of the Secretary General of the European Schools is looking into the possibility of enrolling Ukrainian kids hosted by school families.

Furthermore, you will find in this space on AMPA website, a list of different aid organisations, local and international, as well as NGO’s working in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries providing help and assistance to refugees. The list is not exhaustive and we are not providing recommendations as to which organisations to support. Families who wish to donate money or goods are invited to consult the list and seek further information in order to decide how they wish to help. If you know of organisations or initiatives that you feel should be included in this list, please send an email to info@ampaescuelaeuropea.com.

We also take the opportunity to remind all families that this Wednesday all pupils are invited to wear white and will create a peace sign in the sports field.

Thank you very much for your solidarity with Ukrainian families!

United in Diversity Peace shall prevail.

Your AMPA Management Committee