World Vision CEO speaks with KIRO 7 after dangerous trip to Ukraine border

The CEO of World Vision is back in the U.S. after making a dangerous trip to eastern Europe and the Ukraine border.

The United Nations estimates the war in Ukraine has uprooted about 10 million Ukrainians.

The relief organization is committed to helping refugees.

KIRO 7′s Ranji Sinha spoke with CEO Edgar Sandoval, who said he has not wavered from that commitment.

“I’ve got mixed feelings, Ranji. On the one hand, it’s a challenging time for the Ukrainian people, on the other hand, I saw a lot of reasons to be hopeful,” Sandoval said.

For Sandoval, World Vision staff heading into danger is nothing new, but he admits the group has never faced a situation that has become so severe so quickly.

“What I saw was the statistics coming to life before my very eyes. It is already Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II,” he said.

As the refugee crisis escalated, some groups thought it would take months to hit such high numbers, but millions have fled the country in less than four weeks.

Sandoval was on the ground for three days at two border points in Romania. He met a man named Vladimir and his special needs son, Bogdan, who had made it to a shelter run by World Vision.

“I saw a dad with a young man who was obviously a disabled individual. What I saw was an incredible connection between dad and son,” he said.

Sandoval, who has a special needs daughter, said he was compelled to talk to them.

“The families, they are loving families, just like the ones we have here in our communities,” Sandoval said. “Fleeing Ukraine with a disabled child is not easy, so Vladimir’s sister made the journey to Ukraine to help.”

The CEO said his tours of World Vision’s sites crystallized that most refugees are trying to get to cities far from the conflict and don’t want to be waiting at borders.

The work World Vision is doing is among the riskiest the group has ever undertaken, but staff have been in Romania for more than three decades.

“We’re in the thousands of people that we’ve helped already, probably 12,000 to 15,000,” Sandoval said.

World Vision has focused on sending water, food and hygiene kits while setting up spaces for children.

“We have been in the business of going to the most challenging places in the world for 70 years,” Sandoval said. “It is our calling and our mission to be where the most vulnerable are.”

Sandoval said he will not be returning to eastern Europe soon but wants to raise awareness as World Vision continues to raise funds to help its mission.

©2022 Cox Media Group