British-Ukrainian Aid’s Inaugural Reception took place at the Churchill Room, House of Commons on 2nd November 2016.

The event was aimed at raising awareness about the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and reaching out to a wider audience in the UK.

It was hosted by Sir Gerald Howarth MP and attended by British MPs, British and Ukrainian charities, diplomats, the representatives of UK-based Ukrainian organisations and many distinguished guests. They heard speeches from Sir Gerald Howarth, HE the Ambassador of Ukraine Natalia Galibarenko, Nadiya Savchenko and General Sir Richard Shirreff – all in support of Ukraine and of the work of British-Ukrainian Aid.

Nadiya Savchenko’s powerful speech focused on the importance of overseas assistance, both moral and actual, while General Sir Richard Shirreff emphasised the need for the West to shake off the complacency. The speeches were followed by a short video promoting British-Ukrainian Aid’s charitable endeavours introduced by the charity’s managing director Tetyana Vovnyanko.

The reception served as a platform for promulgating long-lasting links between all interested parties in order to align humanitarian efforts of British-Ukrainian Aid with those of UK organisations specialising in post-conflict recovery and working for the benefit of people affected by war.

The guests had a chance to see poignant images from Ukraine’s front-line towns and military hospitals kindly offered by a cohort of talented photographers, including Ben Robinson, Ty Faruki, Ivan Bohdan and Diana Mess.  The programme for the evening also included an outstanding performance by an up-and-coming young musician Sofia Yatsyuk.

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