How P.E.I.'s support for the Red Cross is helping Ukraine

Prince Edward Islanders have been "swift and very generous" in their support for the Red Cross in Ukraine, says Corrinne Hendricken-Eldershaw, provincial manager for the Red Cross.

As the seventh day of the war in Ukraine began Wednesday, Russian forces intensified their attacks on major urban areas, including the capital, Kyiv, as well as the strategic port cities of Odesa and Mariupol in the south. Amid the fighting, the humanitarian situation worsened.

More than 874,000 people have fled Ukraine in search of safety in neighbouring countries, a UN refugee agency spokesperson told CBC News Network on Wednesday. The Red Cross has been working to help those refugees.

The agency has about 2,500 workers on the ground, said Hendricken-Eldershaw. They are helping with evacuation, distributing emergency supplies of food, water, and hygiene kits.

Among those 2,500 workers are mobile health teams, supporting people with both physical and psychological first aid.

"I think what's first and foremost if you are a person in the Ukraine is knowing that someone cares, and someone is trained and someone is there to help," said Hendricken-Eldershaw.

As of noon Tuesday, she said $24.4 million has been donated to the Ukraine campaign. The federal government matched the first $10 million of that.