Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal, WH Partners and ARQ Group, all three being Malta based professional services organisations, have teamed up to launch a CSR initiative which we invite you to actively participate in.
The recent invasion of the Ukraine by the Russian armed forced and the ongoing hostilities within the country have forced the migration of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, men women and children of all ages, from the comfort of their homes and daily lives into the dark unknown. Human beings who, up until a few weeks ago, went about their ordinary lives and occupations just as the rest of us do every day, have suddenly turned into statistics of displaced persons fleeing the horrors of war in pursuit of the simple right to exist and live safely.
The world, led by the European Union, the UK and the USA, has reacted forcefully to the tragic use of force and to the ensuing human suffering whose images fill our TV and phone screens every minute of the day. Thousands upon thousands the world over have protested their opposition against the unnecessary destruction of cities and human lives and are worried about the threat of global destabilization which the Russian incursion has provoked. A flood of solidarity with the people of the Ukraine, both in terms of financial aid and on-the-ground refugee support, is flowing towards the war victims through the intervention of governments, NGOs, Church organisations, private enterprise and individual charity. We have been woken up from our complacency and spurned into action because the idea of doing nothing is simply not an option.
Although Malta is geographically not a country which shares its borders with the Ukraine, this cannot be a reason for the island and its people not to feel at one with those men, women and children escaping the chaos. The UN and European Union have already recognised the humanitarian tragedy that is unfolding within the European continent and are allocating significant resources towards the alleviation of the refugee crisis – still only at its very beginning. The suffering is likely to get worse as time goes by. Peoples and their governments must come together to lend a helping hand to those in need. Malta, as part of the EU and the global community, must play its part even if only a relatively small number of refugees might come its way.
It is for this reason that a group of privately owned professional firms and businesses on the island have come together in these unprecedented times, to work with established NGOs not just to assist them financially in their efforts but also to ensure that:
- Malta will open its doors to some of the many thousands of refugees who are currently escaping the Ukraine and flowing into EU bordering countries, particularly into Poland and Romania; and
- Those refugees who come to Malta on their own volition, maybe also to reunite with friends and family members who already live in Malta, are given immediate sustenance and accommodation; and
- Employment opportunities, as well as training and learning programmes, are made available to those we welcome to the island, to give them the dignity and support they need as they adjust to their new realities.
If your company is able to commit to considering the employment of one or more refugees for salaries which are commensurate to their skillsets and experience, we would welcome you to join us in this CSR and humanitarian initiative to support those displaced by the war in Ukraine in these very difficult times. Those interested can contact us on [email protected]
A website will be launched in the coming weeks that will gather useful information for the Ukrainian refugees coming to Malta, as well as employment opportunities in Malta and training and learning programmes.