Tile industry launches fundraiser to provide relief for Ukrainian children

By Canadian Interiors On Apr 19, 2022

Children and families receive support from Save the Children in Romania after crossing the border from Ukraine.

The Tile Council of North America (TCNA), the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), the Tile Contractors’ Association of America (TCAA), and the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), have launched a fundraiser for Save the Children’s humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and the region.

All four associations have contributed $10,000 each with further support also coming in from their members to help protect and support Ukranian children and their families.

The fundraiser, “TILE$4UkrainianChildren” will focus on pursuing donations and pledges through the week of Coverings, April 5-8, 2022, for an industry donation goal of $250,000. “Everyone has seen in the news the horrors of this war in Europe,” said Eric Astrachan, Executive Director of TCNA. “The U.N. is reporting that over 50 per cent of the children in Ukraine have now been displaced, leaving them at serious risk of illness, hunger, and abuse. This fundraiser allows us to immediately put into action tile industry humanitarian support for Ukrainian children.”

Save the Children is a global humanitarian organization that was founded in 1919 and has been operating in Ukraine since 2014. The organization is now scaling up their operations to support impacted children and families, distributing critical emergency supplies and establishing safe spaces for children where possible.

“I would like to send all our thankfulness for what you’re doing for us,” said Lishchynskyi Ioan of the Ukrainian Association of Ceramics. “Project «TILE$» sounds really good and we know Save The Children is a big organization with a clear structure of methods to provide target support for Ukrainian children.”

Save the Children’s giving portal allows anyone, anywhere, to give at any time through the TILE$4UkrainianChildren campaign online donation page: http://support.savethechildren.org/goto/TILES4UKR.

On 1 April 2022 in Medyka, Poland, a family of nine takes a bus to Przemysl to then continue their journey to Warsaw and on to Canada. The family comes from Berdiansk, a town close to Mariupol. Ludomila, mother to Michal and Siemon (not pictured), says, “There is nothing in the city, there is a problem to get anything there. No phones, no TV, no light. There is nothing there.” The situation in the region where they come from is so dire that many people have already fled the country, but for a family as big as this one it is difficult to move from town to town. Says Luba (at back, to right), 20-year-old sister to Michal and Siemon, “It took us 3 days to get here. We went first to Zaporizhzhia by bus and from there we took a train to Lviv. The train was so crowded. Many people are taking the train to find safety in Western Ukraine. There were 9 people for every 4 seats on it.”The number of children and families fleeing Ukraine continues to increase. They need protection and support as they seek refuge in neighbouring countries. (©UNICEF/UN0624067/Korta)