Ukraine | Telephone Info Point: interview with the team

• Anna Yavorska (coordinator of the info point) : We mainly respond to calls and messages in Ukrainian and Russian through the WhatsApp number, as well as many calls in French and Dutch. Many people also come to us at Heysel for information.
• Pieter Van Roeyen (lawyer) : In the beginning, many Belgians called us to offer material aid. Now, the questions we receive are mainly coming from the group of people who are housing people coming from Ukraine and need information on practices that can help. We also receive a lot of solicitations from Ukrainians who are in Belgium, or elsewhere in Europe, or even Ukraine. Among those who fled, some were living in Ukraine but come from third countries (outside the European Union) and are generally not entitled to temporary protection*. We are also contacted by Ukrainians already living in Belgium before the war.  Or by families composed of members with different nationalities. For example, we recently informed a family whose father was Turkish and whose wife and children were Ukrainian. One case is not the other and there can be very complex legal situations, which require personalized solutions.
• Anna Yavorska : There are of course many single women or women with children, as most of the men had to stay in Ukraine to fight. It is too early to observe trends in profiles, but we see people of various socio-economic levels: from the uneducated to the highly educated and multilingual. There are also people who are more vulnerable because of a disability. For example, we have seen men and women who are deaf, blind, or in wheelchairs. But we have to realize that most of the vulnerable people could not flee and are still stuck in Ukraine or have perished under the bombs.

• Pieter Van Roeyen : We are in a constantly changing context. People arriving from Ukraine have to find accurate information as the situation is constantly evolving and information is coming from all sides: media, social networks, word of mouth… Belgians who welcome exiled people also have many questions. We try to give everyone clear, reliable and up-to-date information.
• Anna Yavorska : There are people who are lost, who do not know where to go, what procedures to follow… Others contact us to confirm information they have read or heard. They turn to Caritas, a recognized international organization, to ask for official and written sources.
• Pieter Van Roeyen : We receive in priority socio-legal questions. These can be very specific requests, requiring extensive legal knowledge in the area of migration. We base our answers on our years of experience in accompanying vulnerable families and exiled persons suffering from war trauma; we want to make this expertise and our vast network available. In addition, many of the issues are new and untested and we seek solutions within the Caritas network and alongside our partners.
• Anna Yavorska : We also receive many varied and specific questions of a practical nature. For example: where to get a document translated? What are the reception conditions in Belgium? Where can I buy a metro card? Can my children go to school before I receive my residence permit? Where can I learn French or Dutch? Where can I look for a job? How can I get access to medical insurance? How do I officially get my relationship recognized?

Pieter Van Roeyen : For years, Caritas has been answering questions from everyone, for example through our social service and our various social projects, and we will of course continue to do so. We have furthermore opened these telephone lines because of the extent of the crisis and the number of people arriving from Ukraine in need of reliable information. We continue our mission: to accompany all human beings who are victims of violence, natural disasters and poverty, regardless of their origin, gender or political, philosophical or religious beliefs, in collaboration with our national and international networks. We make it a point of honor to serve and inform everyone in a qualitative manner.

• Pieter Van Roeyen : We are on the forefront of answering questions. We find the answers and solve the problems ourselves or through our networks and partner organizations.
• Anna Yavorska : The goal is that all people can access their basic rights and find a solution to the problems they are facing. Our WhatsApp phone line in Ukrainian – and in Russian, if necessary – allows us to explain the nuances in the native language of the people who contact us, and to follow up. It regularly happens that people who contacted me call me back afterwards. Using WhatsApp makes it easy to send links to official information, to direct people when they are lost (geographically) and to call for free.