How to Help Ukraine: Intercultural Communications
As we sit in our homes, wear our masks, and stop going out as often, the pandemic is like a storm that rages outside. Millions have lost their lives to this virus in the United States, where we are highly informed and increasingly have access to treatments, such as the vaccine. In Ukraine, people’s lives have also been changed, and loved ones have been lost. Fear and loneliness are rampant as homes feel less like a retreat and more like a fortress.
Problem
The Ukrainian people have been experiencing these challenges and have minimally been supported by their government and leaders. Unfortunately, the struggle against the virus has only exacerbated the human and health crisis experienced in Ukraine from its conflict with Russia. The country’s Corruption Perception Index tracked by Transparency International ranked 117th out of 180 countries, highlighting concerns of bribery. Additionally, a war on the contact-line with Russia has been ongoing and slowly escalating. In war-torn areas, health facilities have struggled normally to offer proper care as health care workers fear for their lives from shelling, according to the World Health Organization.
With the spread of COVID-19, access to medical professionals has been only limited further. Barriers to treatment have been worsened. Many Ukrainian people remain ill-informed about the virus and how they can keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
However, even when professionals and leaders could reach people, they indirectly or directly belittled the vaccine and its importance. Therefore, the Ukrainian people staying out of firing lines and COVID-19 hotspots have received little or inaccurate medical advice.
Solution
These stories of turmoil and terror are readily available to us with a quick Google search. How could we extend our understanding to the Ukrainian people? How can we, across the world, help?
The fact of the matter is that Ukraine needs external humanitarian assistance, as demonstrated in a report by WHO. Unfortunately, the report goes on to explain there is also insufficient funding for humanitarian health intervention required.
In such a delicate situation, the International Medical Corp has the level of expertise required. The IMC is an organization that offers external humanitarian assistance through independent funding from Ukraine’s corrupt government.
The IMC depends on donators' support and funding to continue offering humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people who gravely need it now more than ever. Simultaneously, the IMC offers global, sustainable solutions through the use of intercultural communications. Intercultural communications builds relationships between individuals of different cultures and background by going beyond a simple conversation. Digital Marketing Coordinator for International Relations Online at American University, John Sinden, said:
“Intercultural communication training is incredibly important to breaking down cultural barriers and building awareness of cultural norms, as well as enhancing self-awareness and communication skills.”
Both organizations and individuals can utilize this form of communication. In Intercultural Communication in Contexts, Judith Martin and Thomas Nakayama explore how we can include intercultural communications in our daily lives. According to Martin and Nakayama, you can encourage diverse cooperation by implementing intercultural communications in three ways:
1. Develop Global and Self Awareness
Engaging in true dialogue involves mutual listening, where you think carefully before speaking. When engaging in true dialogue, practicing self-reflexivity means learning to understand yourself and your position in society. The IMC understands true dialogue with the Ukrainian people with self-reflexivity allows us to learn not only “about other cultures and cultural practices” but ourselves. However, true global awareness requires exercising cultural humility. Therefore, remain aware of the limitations of your cultural background and try to suppress any cultural assumptions.
2. Break Stereotypes
An often-overlooked step involved in intercultural communications is studying history. Despite the uncomfortable and unfortunate wrongs of the past, it is important to study history to prevent you from perpetuating misinformation. Understanding where the “line of contact” between Ukraine and Russia and how it came to be is crucial for IMC to help the Ukrainian people.
“By ignoring history, we sometimes come to wrongheaded conclusions about others that only perpetuate and reinforce stereotypes.” — Martin & Nakayama, 2018
Intercultural communication also supports the contact hypothesis that can break stereotypes via meaningful contact methods. Simply sitting next to someone different from you will not build better communication.
One useful approach to communication interculturally is harnessing a dialectical approach. This approach means understanding the dichotomy that life is static and dynamic simultaneously.
3. Devise New Strategies
Another useful approach is a dialogical approach, which focuses on dialogue in developing and maintaining relationships between individuals and communities. Primarily, diversity of ideas, experiences, and lifestyles allows for newfound ideas to be formed and expounded on. This brings me to my last way to use intercultural communications to encourage diverse cooperation is community engagement. Active engagement with communities improves lives through collaboration, which is a core feature of the IMCs aid in Ukraine.
References:
Council on Foreign Relations. (2018, October 30). Conflict in Ukraine | Global Conflict Tracker. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-ukraine.
International Medical Corps. (2021, February 23). Ukraine. International Medical Corps. https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/country/ukraine/.
Kramer, A. E. (2021, April 9). Russian Troop Movements and Talk of Intervention Cause Jitters in Ukraine. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war-troops-intervention.html.
Lehavy, O. (2021, April). Chapter 11: Culture, Communication and Conflict. MMC5708 Intercultural Communications.
Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2018). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (7th ed.). McGraw Hill Education.
Sinden, J. (2021, March 2). The Importance of Intercultural Communication Training to the Global Workforce. Insights. https://www.td.org/insights/the-importance-of-intercultural-communication-training-to-the-global-workforce.
Transparency International. (2021, January 28). Ukraine in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2020: Transparency International Ukraine. Transparency International: Ukraine. https://ti-ukraine.org/en/research/ukraine-in-the-corruption-perceptions-index-2020/.
Varenikova, M. (2021, March 11). Ukraine says misinformation is scaring its people away from being vaccinated. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/world/ukraine-covid-vaccine-misinformation.html.
Varenikova, M., & Kramer, A. E. (2021, January 22). Ukraine Ended Secret Government Spending. Vaccine Makers Now Demand It. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/world/europe/ukraine-coronavirus-vaccine.html.
World Health Organization. (2021, April 21). WHO action in Ukraine. World Health Organization. https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/ukraines-humanitarian-crisis/who-action-in-ukraine.
