Ottawa-led coalition helps Black international students escape war in Ukraine

[Spazito]

Mukudzei Makurira crossed the border into Romania from war-torn Ukraine 11 days ago. He is still shaken up.

"I still have panic attacks," said Makurira, a first-year dental student from Zimbabwe. "I'm trying to bury every memory, just put it in a coffin."

Makurira spent more than eight hours at the border waiting to cross into Romania as he faced racism and feared for his life. When he arrived, he said there were two gates: one for Ukrainians and another for foreigners.

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Since reports emerged of racism at the border, an Ottawa-led group has spearheaded a "Global Black Coalition" supporting international Black students fleeing Ukraine. Their focus has been crowdfunding to help pay reallocation costs, such as hotel fees, food and warm clothing.

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The Ottawa-based organizations plan to send two people to Poland next week to help with the relief efforts. Members of the public can drop off donations, such as blankets, on Saturday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at 40 Colonnade Rd. in Nepean.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/black-students-escape-ukraine-1.6377084

[Karadeniz]

1. Sad to say, they're better off there than here and that's sickening....