Jersey pupils learn value of island support in Ukraine

Pupils said they learned a lot from the talk (left to right: Toader Sarbu, The Reverend Helen Gunton and Alex Stroie with Year 5 pupils Clara and Annie)

Jersey primary school pupils have been learning how support from the island has been changing lives in Ukraine.

Members of Mustard Seed Jersey charity spoke to students at Grouville School about the aid it sends to the war-torn country.

Charity worker Alex Stroie told pupils how food, clothes and gifts from Jersey have made a difference.

Year five student Clara said she felt upset upon learning that there are people in the world who "aren't safe".

'Touched in their hearts'

The charity, which has offered support through its shoebox appeal to Romania for more than 20 years, started sending some of that aid to Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

Mr Stroie, from Romania, was joined by Ukrainian Toader Sarbu who helps distribute the aid in Ukraine.

Mr Sarbu said he was "very impressed" by the children who were "touched in their hearts about the lives and difficulties of children in Ukraine".

He said the situation back home is "worse" and they have "a new wave of refugees coming in from the east of Ukraine so the help being sent from Jersey helps them to survive".

Charity worker Alex Stroie told pupils how food, clothes and gifts from Jersey had made a difference

Year five students Annie and Clara said they learned a lot from the visit.

"We saw that some people live in basements and they don't have a lot of things so they go to the charity to get what they need," Clara said.

"It makes me feel upset because there's other people in the world that aren't safe but if we raise awareness about this then we can help more people."

Annie said she felt "happy" to know that the island was helping people in need.

"I think it's really important to learn about because it could happen in other places and we need to know why it's happening," she said.

Mr Stroie said it was "good" to visit the school because some of the children and their families have "helped through the years".

He added: "It shows them where that help has gone and [it] showed the children how other children in Ukraine have been supported through this aid."