Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed their support for the Ukrainian people at a campus vigil on April 1. | Unsplash
Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed their support for the Ukrainian people at a campus vigil on April 1. | Unsplash
University of Wisconsin-Madison students are speaking out for peace, recently holding a vigil calling for tranquility in Ukraine on Library Mall.
As part of their effort, the university's student governance body, Associated Students of Madison, is calling on school officials to increase financial and emotional aid to students impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Organizers said they also want to send a message to students from Ukraine and other international students on the UW-Madison campus.
"To let students know, whether they're here or not, that there are people and resources here who care for them, to hear their heart, who see them and want to stand in solidarity with them," UW-Madison student Ndemazea Fonkem told ABC 18 News.
According to the UW-Madison website, Fonkem is a sophomore at UW majoring in landscape and urban studies. On campus, she serves as the diverse engagement coordinator for the Associated Students of Madison.
Vigil organizers also collected donations for an organization based in Green Bay that is sending medical supplies and humanitarian aid to families in Ukraine and refugee families in Poland.
Russia first invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Since the war began, more than 4.2 million people are reported to have fled Ukraine and a quarter of the population is now reported to be displaced.
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