Samaritan's Purse assembles disaster relief teams to help Ukrainian refugees
Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham joined 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to discuss the organization's efforts in helping those flee the country amid Russian attacks.
As Russia continues its attack against Ukraine, Samaritan’s Purse International Disaster Relief is sending humanitarian relief to Ukrainian citizens impacted by the war.
Franklin Graham, the organization’s president and CEO, spoke with "Fox & Friends" on Sunday to share that Samaritan’s Purse "is on the ground."
He expects the charity’s volunteers to be there for a while, he said.
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"We’re talking to the ministry of health," Graham said on Sunday morning.
"We have five field hospitals that we keep here in North Carolina ready for deployment and we’re getting one of those ready right now."
A girl looks at a notebook next to her mother as they stand in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter, in Ukraine, on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
He added that the 501(c)(3) charity is also preparing a cargo aircraft that will likely deliver materials to hospitals near the Ukrainian border.
"We’ll have to look at that a little more carefully," Graham noted.
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Samaritan's Purse works with a network of over 3,200 churches, which contribute to the organization’s Operation Christmas Child gift initiative.
To aid the people of Ukraine, the charity’s network of volunteer partners has sent 660,000 shoebox gifts and has been distributing these packages to children in areas where conflicts aren’t actively taking place.
"The people of Ukraine are suffering," Graham said. "We’re going to help as much as we can."
Samaritan’s Purse volunteers who are on the ground and providing aid in Ukraine estimate that close to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed over to Poland.
"It’s a continual stream of people," Graham said.
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"And the problem is with Moldova, Romania and Poland — they’re just not set up to handle this refugee crisis."
On Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine, a girl looks at the crater left by an explosion in front of an apartment building, which was heavily damaged during ongoing military operations. (UNICEF)
He continued, "So, it’s going to take all of us working together to try to help these people. It’s just going to get worse, I think, in the days to come."
"It’s not going to get better. It’s going to get worse."
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Graham, an American evangelist and missionary, also took a moment to ask people of faith to keep Ukraine in their prayers.
"I’m just calling for people watching across this country to pray for the people of Ukraine," Graham said on "Fox & Friends."
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"I think it’s important that we have a day of prayer for the people who are suffering tremendously. They’re afraid. They’ve been running," he continued.
"Samaritan’s Purse is on the ground and will be there for some time."
