South Florida Sun Sentinel
Mar 23, 2022 1:09 PM
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Manalapan resident and philanthropist Lois Pope recently donated $1 million to Save the Children, an organization working to help Ukrainian refugees. (Save the Children/Courtesy)
Manalapan resident and philanthropist Lois Pope recently donated $1 million to Save the Children, an organization working to help children and families fleeing escalating violence in Ukraine.
Save the Children, which has been working in Ukraine since the start of the conflict in 2014, has begun scaling up its operations to support the individuals impacted, distributing emergency supplies and establishing safe spaces for children where possible.
Pope’s donation, which will be used to establish a fund through her foundation called Lois’ Care for Refugees, will help provide food, water, hygiene products, medicine and other humanitarian assistance. The assistance is being provided in neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania and Lithuania.
A Save the Children staff hands out a toy to a boy whose family fled the conflict in Ukraine seeking shelter in Romania. (Dan Stewart/Save the Children/Courtesy)
Over 3.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine in four weeks, according to the United Nations. In addition, 6.5 million individuals have been displaced within the country.
“What these innocent children are now going through, being ripped from the safety of the only homes they know by a war they cannot really comprehend, is devastating,” Pope said in a statement.
“I couldn’t sit idly by in the comfort of my own home when the plight of these children is so perilous,” she said. “Their needs are so great, from nutritious food and clean water to medicine and health care products. My goal in creating this fund to support Save the Children is to help meet these needs today and moving forward throughout this humanitarian crisis.”
Founded over a century ago, Save the Children is a leading independent organization for the health, education and protection of children.
Many Ukrainian refugee families are transitioning through the train station in Bucharest. Save the Children has set up Child Friendly Spaces so children can play and relax, while volunteers organize games for them. (Save the Children/Courtesy)
According to the organization, it reached over 197 million children in 2020, including 1.1 million inside the United States.
“Save the Children expresses its deepest gratitude for Mrs. Pope’s much-needed support during this time of crisis in Ukraine,” Save the Children Chief Development Officer Luciana Bonifacio said in a statement. “This generous gift will help us protect children from harm, and provide immediate assistance to children and their families who are in grave danger across Ukraine and the region.”
