While at least 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since February 24, several associations are present on the borders of Ukraine, particularly between Poland and Ukraine. Among them, the NGO Parabere forum, an NGO that promotes equality between men and women, and diversity in the world of gastronomy. Its network, made up of 8,000 women in 60 countries, is known for acting quickly and helping refugees and displaced populations.
The Parabere forum network is a godsend for connecting refugees and their future employers in their country of exile, especially since 90% of them are women and their children, explains Maria Canabal:
“ The women often take care of the children, the house and the education, which means that when they leave the country, it is without savings, without money, without anything at all. They are extremely vulnerableexplains the founder of Parabere Forum. So they have to find a job very quickly to be able to have a balance in their life and also bring it to their children. What strikes me enormously here is that there has a lot of children. We already have contacts with chefs in France, who, in addition, offer a place to host them. It is important that their mother can work in the restaurant industry, that they too find a semblance of normal life”.
” I came here on purpose for this »
Maria Canabal goes through her lists, collects fairly basic data: “ Surname, first name, age, years of experience, if it’s more haute cuisine or more bistro-style… And also, what is their job, if they are bakers, waitresses. We send this list in the countries where they areFrance, Germany, Poland, we send the list to our network and it is up to our network to show solidarity and to say to each other “we need staff, we will hire them“. But it is true that afterwards, there is a follow-up, because what the women here tell us is: “we want to go back home“. I came here on purpose for that.”
Essential data for tomorrow, allowing the return of these families to their country.
► Read also : “Ukraine Take Shelter”, a platform to help Ukrainian refugees find temporary shelters
