Considering the diversity of the student body at the University of Saskatchewan, it is not surprising that many students have ties to other countries. With this in mind, one student group has set out to help others involved in a conflict halfway around the world.

The University of Saskatchewan Ukrainian Students’ Association is hosting the second annual Zabava, an evening of Ukrainian culture dedicated to raising funds for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

The event takes place on Saturday, Feb. 6 and is being held at the Ukrainian Orthodox Auditorium on 20th Street. Connor Moen, a fifth-year political studies student and president of the USUSA, expanded on what Zabava has to offer.

“The word zabava is Ukrainian for entertainment or fun, so it’s basically a huge Ukrainian themed gala for the night. So we have all sorts of performdances,” Moen said.

The performers include a Ukrainian choir, Ukrainian dancers and U of S music student Katya Khartova, who is originally from Ukraine herself. Several members of the USUSA are involved with the performances, including Moen.

Other notable features include a silent auction and a midnight lunch of Ukrainian cuisine.

Ukraine has been involved in a territorial dispute with Russia since 2014. Over 5,500 lives have been lost in the conflict. Although fighting has since ceased, the people of Ukraine continue to struggle with the aftermath.

For many members of the USUSA, the conflict is a complicated thing to make sense of.

“Being a fifth-generation Ukrainian Canadian, I don’t really have contact with my family there, but there are members of the [USUSA] that do still have family members there,” Moen said.

In May 2015, Moen had the opportunity to travel to Ukraine and see the conflict first hand.

“I was just in Ukraine last May and I actually met volunteers who were on the lines. So in a lot of ways, the conflict strongly resonates with me and others in my group,” Moen said.

When it came to selecting this year’s charities, Moen describes the unique challenges of providing aid to those in other parts of the world.

“It’s a really tricky thing when you do want to give humanitarian aid to Ukraine. We had some issues last year with accountability because when you do give the money to Ukraine, it usually goes through four different hands by the time it actually gets to where you want it to go. This year we really took it upon ourselves to address that,” Moen said.

The funds raised from Zabava will be going towards two charities, both based in Canada. The first, operated by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, is the Ambulances for Ukraine project, which sends ambulances and medical aid to areas of the country that are in need.

The second organization is Help Us Help The Children, which seeks to assist children that have been affected in the conflict with Russia.

“It’s an orphanage based group, so it’s mostly kids that were orphaned as a result of the conflict going on right now,” Moen said.

With over 200 people expected to attend, Zabava was a massive undertaking for the USUSA. The group has been working since September to ensure that the event will be a success.

“If you can only come to one Ukrainian student event this year, this should be the one,” Moen said.

Ultimately, Zabava seems to be about bringing people together, regardless of where they come from.

“At the very end of the night, at midnight, we have this thing called a Kolomayka. People get all around in a circle — that’s what kolomayka means — and everyone shows off their different dance moves.”

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Photos: Supplied / Anton Sukhorskyi