Since the outbreak of war, the Autonomous Region of Madeira has welcomed around 1,250 Ukrainian citizens — 350 with residence permits and 900 under international protection — according to data from the Directorate of Services for Madeiran Communities, Migration and Economic Cooperation.
This Sunday, the community in Funchal celebrates the 34th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, alongside initiatives carried out by Ukrainians around the world. “Today we celebrate Ukraine’s 34th anniversary of independence, and we are doing so together with all of Portugal, in partnership with the Association of Ukrainians of Portugal, the Association of Ukrainian Women of Portugal, and the World Congress of Ukrainians,” said Katerina Leacock, president of the Ukraine with Love Association.
The leader made an appeal: “What we ask above all is peace, but a lasting and coherent peace, not just a ceasefire that allows new invasions.”
According to Katerina, the Ukrainian community living in Madeira “is adapted and integrated,” although it faces difficulties. “The biggest problem is the same as everyone else in the region: housing. Then there’s the language, but many are already learning Portuguese to find work and adapt. We must also highlight the support we receive from the Regional Government, secretariats, regional directorates, and parish councils, as well as on the mainland,” she emphasized.
The official also reinforced the European dimension of the Ukrainian cause: “Ukraine is Europe, Ukraine is all of us. We must stand with Ukraine. I stand with Ukraine,” she stated before the march began along Funchal’s coastal avenues, between Praça CR7 and Jardim do Almirante Reis.