After weeks of escalating tension, last week Russia invaded Ukraine and launched a barrage of attacks across the country, and particularly on the capital, Kyiv.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled their homes and those that haven’t are being encouraged by government officials to take up arms to defend their country.
While countries around the world are levying sanctions against Russia, many of us are wondering what we can do personally to help the people of Ukraine at this terrible time.
Here are some ways you can support the people of Ukraine right now.
Donating money
There are a wealth of charities and organisations that are helping the people of Ukraine as well as providing vital supplies to their armed forces. A number of the following allow payments via Paypal, which is currently taking a while to process payments as it has been inundated with transactions. Here are some of the main charities and organisations that you can support:
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)
The DEC is a group of over 15 UK aid charities who pool resources in times of crisis, including Oxfam, Save the Children, Age International and more. They have launched a Ukraine appeal to provide support for the millions of people who have been, or are likely to be, displaced by the Russian invasion. Donations will help provide humanitarian aid including providing food, water, shelter, medical care as well as funding ongoing support for the coming months and eventual recovery. The government has agreed to double the donations made, up to a total of £20m. You can donate to the appeal on the DEC website.
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross has launched a fund to raise money for humanitarian support to Ukraine, providing people in need with food, water, first aid, medicines, warm clothes and shelter. You can donate online at the British Red Cross, over the phone on 0300 023 0820, or by post here.
Ukrainian Red Cross
The Ukrainian Red Cross has launched a fundraising campaign to help all those in need in Ukraine, providing support to anyone affected by armed conflict, blood collection, mobilisation of volunteers and resources, and emergency activities. You can donate to the Ukrainian Red Cross here.
Unicef
Unicef focuses on child welfare, and is supporting families and children affected by the war in Ukraine. Donations will help provide families with access to clean water and nutritious food, ensure that child health and protection services are sustained and support their work with their partners and the UNHCR (see more details below) to assess the refugee situation across neighbouring countries. You can donate online at Unicef or over the phone on 0300 330 5699.
UN Crisis Relief
Donating to the UN Crisis Relief is one of the quickest and most effective ways to support humanitarian relief to those that need it in Ukraine. You can donate online at UN Crisis Relief, and select ‘Donating in British Pounds’ at the bottom of the ‘Donate Today’ box.
United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
UNHCR is helping those who have had to flee their homes in Ukraine to reach safety and rebuild their lives. They provide emergency relief for civilians on the front lines of conflict and deliver healthcare, education and livelihoods for families when they can’t return home. They also advocate with governments around the world to protect the rights of displaced people. You can donate online at the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Choose Love
Choose Love is a London based charity that is supporting a number of humanitarian projects in Ukraine that provide vital aid and services to those still in and fleeing the country, including: emergency medical care, food, shelter, clothes, legal support, support for the LGBTQIA+ community and mental health support. You can donate online at Choose Love.
National Bank of Ukraine
The National Bank of Ukraine has opened a fundraising account to allow people to donate to raise funds for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Donations will be used by the bank to fund military needs including directing money towards Ukraine’s defence capability through weapons, equipment, food, medicines, and other supplies required. You can donate online at the National Bank of Ukraine.
Doctors without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres / MSF)
MSF have switched their usual operations to mobilising their medical staff and resources internationally to be ready for a variety of scenarios. They are also currently preparing medical kits for rapid dispatch, have sent additional emergency teams to Ukraine and the surrounding regions, and are assessing the needs of Ukrainian refugees in Poland and neighbouring countries. Your donations will go to supporting these medical services, but also other MSF services across the world. You can donate online at Doctors without Borders.
Voices of Children
Voices of Children is a Ukrainian charity which focuses on supporting children that have been affected by the Russian invasion. Your donation will support their provision of psychological and psychosocial support through art therapy and mobile psychologists to children who have suffered as a result of war operations. You can donate at Voices of Children.
Nova Ukraine
Nova Ukraine is a Ukrainian non-profit organisation which provides humanitarian aid to vulnerable individuals across Ukraine. Your donation will help to provide vital supplies to Ukrainians in need. You can donate at Nova Ukraine.
With Ukraine
With Ukraine is a fund that was set up by the UK Ukrainian Embassy with all donations being used to fund humanitarian aid, as well as the purchase as medical and military supplies. You can donate to With Ukraine here.
Gofundme for Ukrainian relief causes
Gofundme has gathered a list of verified causes supporting a range of humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. These include providing blankets, food, water, hygiene products, counselling and medical services and supplies. You can browse and donate to these causes on Gofundme, or donate to their emergency appeal here.
Watch out for scams
It’s unfortunate that times of crisis often create prime opportunities for scammers who exploit people’s desire to help. Online scams rose dramatically during the pandemic and it’s likely that the same will happen now.
To make sure that your money is actually going to support causes in Ukraine and for Ukrainian people, there are a few things to bear in mind before you enter any payment details.
If the charity is based in the UK, then you can search the government charity register to check that it is a legitimate organisation.
Of course, there are a large number of charities and organisations that aren’t based in the UK that are raising funds at the moment, so use your judgement wisely and do plenty of research on any charity or organisation before entering any payment information.
Always make sure that any website you are providing bank details on has the padlock icon in the address bar, and the website starts with ‘https://’. This means that the connection between you and the charity or organisation is secure and there is less likelihood of your information being stolen.
For more information on scams and how to spot them, have a look at our article Types of scam and how to avoid them.
Donate bedding, clothing, hygiene products and medical supplies
So far the donation of these items seems to be heavily community focussed with individuals taking it upon themselves to collect and organise the transportation of the items to Ukraine and to displaced Ukrainians.
Doing an internet search or looking at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media might help you track down ones in your area, but make sure you check what your local collection needs, as they might have a surplus of certain items and a deficit of others.
One thing to bear in mind is the timeline of donating items over money. While any donation will be greatly appreciated, there is a huge amount of organisation, sorting and transport time to get items to where they are needed, whereas donating money can have a much more immediate impact.
Offer a home to Ukrainian refugees
If you have a spare room, a rental property that’s empty at the moment or space for a lodger, you might be able to host a Ukrainian individual or family and be rewarded with a £350 monthly ‘thank you’ payment from the government’s new Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
The scheme allows UK households to nominate Ukrainian individuals or families to stay in their home, or another property they own, rent free for a minimum of six months. The scheme also means that any nominated individual or family will be granted three years leave to remain, so they can work, claim benefits and access public services such as the NHS during this period. For more information on this, have a look at our article Government to pay £350 a month to Britons hosting Ukrainian refugees will work.
Use your voice
While you may not think you can do much as one person, you have more power than you might think.
You might choose to encourage businesses you get services from to support Ukraine either through charity initiatives or by providing their services. A number of businesses have made promises already, for example, some small businesses are running days where they donate a percentage of the profits to charities helping Ukraine and BT, EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three have all offered free calling to and from the UK and Ukraine.
Write to your MP to share your views. Anyone can write to their MP to raise issues when you, or people living in your area, are affected by decisions made by the UK Parliament or by the Government. The Government has this guide to help you find out who your MP is and how you can contact them.
There are currently a number of petitions concerning the situation between Russia and Ukraine, which are completely free to sign, but could help to get issues discussed in parliament if they gain enough signatures. You can browse these petitions here.