Cambridge and Cambridgeshire have the most generous response to the Ukraine crisis, having more than 300 registered hosts to provide shelter for Ukrainian refugees under the Government “Homes for Ukraine” scheme. By the end of May about 40% of applicants - more than 1 thousand Ukrainians - have arrived in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire, of which 60% of applicants are women and 36 % are under 18 years old – the majority accessing educational services in the city and county.
MIASU Russian speaking members and affiliates are volunteering to work for The Ukrainian Guest & Hosts Helpline to facilitate communication between Ukrainian refugees and local hosts and provide them with translation services and orientation advice to help guests around and about Cambridge. Also, on May 27th Professor Caroline Humphrey gave a talk at an Adaptation Meeting to introduce Ukrainian newcomers to the structure of the British university system. On June 6th, she gave a lecture to the ‘Invisible University for Ukraine’, which runs a programme for displaced students at the Central European University. One of the organisers of the programme is Dr Tatiana Safonova, a graduate from Cambridge Department of Social Anthropology and associated with the MIASU.