Mobilizing support for war-torn Ukraine

Waterloo faculty, staff and students come together to show solidarity and provide relief. By Angie Docking Faculty of Engineering - A grassroots fundraising and awareness initiative is underway on campus to support humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. Led by faculty, staff and student volunteers, University for Ukraine (U4U) aims to bring together the University of Waterloo community to show solidarity and provide coordinated relief to war victims. "I've spoken to several students, colleagues and friends who ask how they can help Ukrainians in a meaningful way," said Professor Serhiy Yarusevych , a Ukrainian-Canadian mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor and U4U co-founder. "That's where the idea for U4U began - to provide every person on campus a quick and easy way to make a difference in the lives of Ukrainians shattered by war." Volunteers aim to raise close to $50,000 by September through the U4U fundraising platform and awareness events hosted across campus throughout the summer. An unprecedented need. Now four months since the Russian invasion, the humanitarian need in Ukraine has fast outpaced international support, Yarusevych said.