The Spain 4 Ukraine group, that originated from Sitges and Sant Pere de Ribes, will be concluding its operation by renting a plane to bring over a further 225 Ukrainian refugees to Catalonia. The group is coordinating the process with the Sepla Foundation, a body that groups pilots of aircraft, and which will also collaborate in the initiative as the crew will fly for free.
The plane will fly from Barcelona El Prat to a city in Hungary or Moldova, yet to be determined. The group is working with two NGOs based at the borders with Ukraine to process the transfer of refugees. The estimate is that 225 refugees will arrive in Catalonia and then the Catalan government will coordinate their integration to the host families.
The plane is being leased with the proceeds of the fundraising campaign, part of which went to the convoy bringing back 182 Ukrainians two weeks ago, in two coaches and 16 vehicles.
After the plane operation is complete, Spain 4 Ukraine will close as a group, as it is not constituted as an entity or NGO. ‘Now is the time for public institutions and NGOs themselves to manage the reception [of refugees], which are the ones that really know how to operate and have the permits,’ said one of the group.
Spain 4 Ukraine – also referred to as Sitges 4 Ukraine – managed to bring 182 Ukrainians to Catalonia at the beginning of March. Of these, 142 arrived in the Garraf area, where they were mostly taken in by families from the region. Sitges currently has around 350 refugees from Ukraine, mainly made up of those from this expedition and 190 from the Hotel Antemare, under an agreement between this establishment and Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion.
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