As war in Ukraine continues, a New Hampshire-based nonprofit is organizing to provide humanitarian aid for women and children affected by the violence. But the expertise the group, NuDay, is using to connect Ukranians with aid comes from years of experience with another conflict: the war in Syria.
At the outset of the Syrian uprising, Nadia Alawa, the founder of NuDay, wanted to do something.
“I was tired of helping set up rallies myself where people in Boston would come together and rally,” she said. “Very slowly it became obvious that the way I could change things and change the narrative, at least from my perspective, and make a difference for even one child, was through humanitarian work.”
She decided to create an international relief organization from scratch, focused on providing aid to women and children living through humanitarian conflicts. NuDay has been doing that for Syrian families and others experiencing humanitarian crises since 2013.
Now, Alawa is using her expertise to provide aid to Ukranians, working with partners in Poland to deliver shipments of supplies. She said it’s been fulfilling to use her organization’s experience with providing relief to Syrians to connect with Ukranians, too.
Though the conflicts may seem similar in some ways, Alawa said, the challenges Ukranians and Syrians are facing at the moment are distinct.
“Ukraine is a little bit different from Syria because of the emergency and the urgency there,” she said. Food, hygiene products, medical supplies, and generators are especially needed, she said, while bedding and clothes are not.
NuDay has a list of items volunteers could help procure at their website, along with more information for people looking to get involved. The organization also hosts opportunities for volunteers to help sort and ship donations at their warehouse in Derry, with events coming up throughout April.
