NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2022 / Worldwide Friends Foundation, names Brock D. Bierman, former Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Europe and Eurasia at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Acting CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as its Chief Executive Officer today. While serving at USAID, Bierman led one of the Agency's priority initiatives, "Countering Malign Kremlin Influence," (CMKI) a program launched in 2019 to support eastern European countries including Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, to withstand influence from Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.
Bierman currently is a Visiting Fellow and Democracy Expert at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) and Chairman of the Board of the European Democracy Youth Network (EDYN). Previously, Bierman served three (3) terms in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, as the Small State and Rural Advocate at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a position he was appointed to by President George W. Bush, and owned and operated several small private sector businesses.
Bierman will immediately administer the organization's current mission, UkraineFriends.org which has been operating buses daily to evacuate Ukrainian women, children, and seniors from Lviv, Ukraine to Przemysl, Poland. In addition, the organization offers vouchers to temporarily house these evacuees via partnership with Airbnb. To date, the organization has evacuated over 25,000 people and issued vouchers to house over 14,000 evacuees. The organization plans on keeping in contact with their evacuees to support needs related to mental health, foreign language, translation services, and reconstruction/repatriation after the war.
In addition, the group focuses on delivering critical lifesaving medical supplies to civilians and soldiers on the front lines. Over 20,000 individual first aid kits and 40,000 bandage kits have been delivered with several more containers on the way. The group was also tasked to supply specific first aid kits that now are located in every train car throughout Ukraine.
Before joining the Worldwide Friends Foundation, Bierman recently spearheaded an effort in partnership with George Tuka former Deputy Minister and Governor of Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine to deliver ambulances and medical supplies to the Ukrainian frontlines with the partnership of the Rotary Club of Kosice, Slovakia, the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, the Gorta Group, and several private donors including Salveto Imports, Sabot Development, and Compass Strategies.
Bierman has made two trips to Ukraine since April, first to review refugee centers with a focus to assess their needs and a second trip in May to personally deliver ambulances to the front lines. While in Ukraine Bierman met with members of the Territorial Defense Forces, local and state officials, and volunteers who were assisting internally displaced people (IDP's). Moving ahead Bierman will develop a new program within the UkraineFriends.org to spearhead the delivery of more ambulances and medical supplies through the Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
"UkraineFriends has done an incredible amount of work to support all the men and women who are fighting every day for their country's freedom and liberty. We must continue to support Ukraine's democratically elected government and all Ukrainians who seek to determine their own future. I am looking forward to working with an exceptional team of staff and volunteers who have already delivered more than 22 million dollars of assistance to Ukraine," stated Bierman.
"We are excited to bring Brock Bierman on board to lead the team and scale our mission to amplify humanitarian efforts to maximize relief and support for the Ukrainian citizens resulting from the heinous war crimes," stated Co-Founders of the Worldwide Friends Foundation.
About Worldwide Friends Foundation / Mission: UkraineFriends.org
Worldwide Friends Foundation is a New York 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on serving the plight of the world's diasporas and Ukrainefriends.org is their current mission. UkraineFriends.org maintains established partnerships with Operation White Stork, KOACORE, WeShield, Chabad, Jesuit University, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, and Friends of Rockaway, among others, and was established as a collective humanitarian response to the invasion of Ukraine. Leveraging the expertise and extensive networks of the group's founders, the organization is a collective of people from varied backgrounds who have chosen to stand together to ensure the rapid response of humanitarian aid to many of the most vulnerable people of this country.
CONTACT:
Daniel Smiertka
(713) 557-8540
SOURCE: WeShield