On 4 June, members of the Ukrainian community in Belgium, organised by NGO Promote Ukraine, will take part in a clean-up of Brussels’ Parc du Cinquantenaire in order to express their gratitude to the “Belgian people for their kindness.”
Following the trend of similar initiatives and gestures across Europe, members of Belgium's Ukrainian community will join together from 11:00 to pick up litter in the park.
“In this way, the citizens of Ukraine, want to express their gratitude for all the support they received from the Belgian people and show that they are also able to help on a local level,” a press release from the organisers reads.
Ukrainians will gather near the North-East entrance to the park to begin their act of charity towards the people of Brussels.
“Such a clean-up might not be a lot, but Ukrainians would like to give back to the community for providing safe shelter from the Russian war against Ukraine,” Promote Ukraine said.
In a comment to the Brussels Times, Lesya Magas, one of the organisers of the event, stated that Belgium has provided lots of support to Ukrainians in recent months.
"In these dark times of Russian invasion, Belgium has provided a safe place for our women, children, and elderly," said Magas.
To date, there are around 45,000 Ukrainian refugees currently in Belgium. Many have found employment or receive financial support from the government.
"Ukrainians hope that we will win the war and be able to safely go home soon. But before we go, we want to show our gratitude and appreciation to the people of Belgium for their open houses and hearts" Magas added.
Promote Ukraine is inviting other members of the Ukrainian community in Belgium to join the event and show their appreciation for the reception from Belgium society.
"In Ukraine, we focus on actions, not words. Therefore our gratitude is through the clean-up of a pretty park," the Promote Ukraine representative concluded.
More information about the event can be found on Promote Ukraine's Facebook page.
