The students, lecturers and researchers at the Ruhr-University Bochum have not forgotten about the terrible fate that has hit so many people in Ukraine. On 25 July 2023 multiple students at the Institute of Geography and other faculties organised an event together with the Faculty of Geosciences' Dean Prof. Matthias Kiese and RUB’s International Office to raise money and awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Mariia Lohvynenko, a graduate geographer from Ukraine whom the students met via the European Geography Association (EGEA), agreed to share her personal experiences, including the loss of her grandfather who passed away after having been forcefully taken away to Russia as well as life in a city destroyed by war and constant shelling. She shared the horrors of war from the perspective of a student and young professional.

After the in-depth presentation of her life in the last seventeen months, multiple items from Ukraine were presented and auctioned off in order to raise money for the Save Ukraine initiative. Donations can be made either directly to Save Ukraine (https://www.saveukraineus.org) or to EGEA supports Ukraine (Instagram: @egea_supports_ukraine or PayPal: https://choko.link/egeaua). Amongst the items was a 150-year-old vase found in the rubble of a destroyed house in Chernihiv. If you have any questions about or ideas how to support Ukrainians, please contact Matthew Federico Becker (matthew.becker@rub.de) or Alina Katzwinkel (alina.katzwinkel@rub.de).

Matthew Federico Becker, EGEA Bochum