Note: The situation in Ukraine is actively evolving, as are the needs of citizens in the country and neighboring regions. This post is accurate at the time of posting, with any updates noted with time of update. I tried to find the appropriate time to balance getting this information out and letting some clear "immediate red flag" charity scams get flagged and shut down. Unfortunately, there is no right time. While I've definitely put in the preliminary research, please make sure to double check respective countries tax forms and partner organizations.
Here are a plethora of ways you can support those fleeing and/or attempting to survive the crisis in Ukraine:
GIVE | LEARN | TAKE ACTION
Black & BIPOC Refugees
(List partially compiled by Korrine Sky)
Coalition To Support Black People In Ukraine is organizing a GoFundMe fundraiser to support vulnerable Black people in Ukraine trying to escape the horrors unfolding. Their teams are currently in contact with African embassies in Ukraine to see ways in which they can best support members of the Black community currently stuck in Ukraine.
Five organizations created by people of African descent, Black and Brown and queer people, and their allies are uniting to support to Black and Brown people fleeing the war in Ukraine, from the immediate help with evacuation and securing safe shelter in Poland, to help in the process of rebuilding their lives, and the long-term work of counteracting racism and discrimination. You can to their efforts here.
Black Women For Black Lives is raising funds and organizing volunteers to help Afro-Carribean Students attempting leaving Ukraine.
Black Girl In Budapest has organized a fundraiser for "Ukraine Relief for Black and Brown students fleeing to Budapest. Money is going straight to volunteers on the ground who are distributing funds to help aid the black students who fled from Ukraine into Budapest.
Khalsa Aid is working in Poland, Moldova, Slovakia, & Romania serving hot meals 24-hours a day to those escaping war in the Ukraine - especially individuals and families of Indian and/or Sikh-descent.
The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture e.V. (ERIAC) and Youth Agency for the Advocacy of Roma Culture are partnering to provide humanitarian help for Roma and other most vulnerable victims of the war with Russia.
Ukrainians with Disabilities/Chronic Illnesses:
(List partially compiled/crowdsourced by Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon & Jen Bokoff)
Fight For The Right is on the ground in Ukraine providing critical aid and services to people with disabilities. They've also launched a GoFundMe page if that's more your style for giving.
Type One Style is bringing the international diabetes community together to make sure no diabetic gets left behind.
Bearr Trust has launched a Ukraine Appeal to quickly redirect funds to their partner organizations to provide food, shelter, clothing, medicine and specialized/accessible transport for elderly or disabled people who are in Ukraine, or who are now refugees in Moldova.
Off-The-Grid Missions provides emergency relief and lifesaving communication aid to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Inclusion Europe has launched their efforts to help Ukrainian people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
LGBTIQ+ Refugees
Insight Ukraine is a Ukrainian-based public organization that has been providing free psychological and legal help to LGBTQI + people for over 10 years.
QUA is "connecting a network of LGBTQ+ people and allies in America who are ready to assist Ukrainian refugees, and distributing funds to LGBTQ Ukrainian community members on the ground during this crisis."
OutRight Action International knows that "in times of crisis, LGBTIQ people who are already marginalized face higher risks and cannot count automatically on access to humanitarian and/or social assistance." That's what the organization is raising funds to help give the Ukrainian LGBTIQ+ community the resources they need to not only survive, but the resilience to thrive.
Host A Sister is an online community that started in 2019 to help women and nonbinary individuals find find free accommodations, and has now pivoted to a community of women helping refugees. Transport A Sister, which was started by a member of the Host A Sister community, is organising transport for people fleeing from Ukraine free of charge.
Choose Love, a non-profit that doesn’t just provide medical care, food, clothing, shelter and legal aid, but also helps support Ukraine’s LGBTQ+ community.
Learn and take note from the the Forcibly Displaced People Network, an organization providing the resources and training to build a world where LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people are included in societies and are safe, free and supported.
Seniors & Elderly Persons
Age International is "uniquely placed to deliver an emergency response to this crisis...Currently, we have over 200 staff and volunteers from local communities working in Ukraine, mostly in the east of the country. To date, this team has been providing ongoing support to almost 5,000 older people in the region. Our most pressing priority at this time is to keep our staff and volunteers safe, despite living under constant fire during the current conflict themselves."
In partnership with People in Need, CARE’s Ukraine Crisis Fund aims to reach four million people with emergency assistance – particularly innocent families, women and girls, and the elderly who are likely to suffer the most by this crisis.
Children Affected By War
Voices of Children has provided psychological and psychosocial support to children affected by war in Ukraine since 2015.
ChildFund’s German sister organization, ChildFund Deutschland, has worked in Ukraine for many years and is acting quickly to provide emergency aid to kids and their families. Your support will help deliver relief and keep children safe as the crisis unfolds.
USA for UNICEF is repairing schools damaged by the bombings and providing an emergency response to children affected by the conflict.
Additional Ways to Support Ukrainians
Sunflower of Peace has officially started a fundraiser to prepare first aid medical tactical backpacks for paramedics and doctors on the front lines. Each backpack has the ability to save up to 10 lives: Ukrainian soldiers, civilians, volunteers, and children. Each backpack is designed for groups of 5 to 10 people and includes a variety of first aid supplies: bandages, anti hemorrhagic medicine like Quikclot and Celox, medical instruments, and a means for survival in extreme conditions.
Project Hope is on the ground responding to the Ukraine crisis and is actively shipping essential medicines and medical supplies to assist Ukrainians. Learn more about this crisis and how you can help.
Nova Ukraine is a nonprofit that delivers aid packages to Ukraine with everything from baby food and hygiene products, to clothes and household supplies.
Donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine directly now. All the funds donated directly or to either of these orgs will be used for logistical and medical support.
Two experienced aid workers set up a crowdfund to provide urgent support to women human rights defenders and activists in Ukraine. Amy Greenbank and Almut Rochowanski - a UK-based activist and a women’s rights activist with connections in the Ukraine, respectively - have collaborated with women activist groups in Ukraine since 2014 and are raising £5,000 to provide urgent lifesaving support to women human rights defenders and activists in Ukraine.
Donate to support the Ukrainian Red Cross help civilians in this difficult time for Ukraine!
A GoFundMe fundraising page has been launched to help the media relocate, set-up back offices and continue their operations from neighboring countries.
Additional Ways to Support Refugees
Some countries are making it harder for refugees to claim asylum than others. Luckily, there are many organizations and resources exist to help those fleeing the conflict, such as:
As the conflict in Ukraine escalates, the International Rescue Committee is getting ready for the worst humanitarian crises in Europe in decades. Right now, it is mobilizing resources to aid the people in Ukraine who were forced to flee their homes.
Understandably, for many refugees food is an immediate need. Chef Jose Andrés has set up his World Central Kitchen on the ground at the Ukraine-Poland border providing warm meals for the hungry.
The dedicated for refugees within the United Nations, UNHCR, has a list of social and legal partner organizations that it is working with on-the-ground to support Ukrainian refugees. Some notable organizations include HIAS, The Rokada Foundation, and many more.
Alight has deployed a response team of seasoned humanitarian and emergency response workers to Poland, which has received the most Ukrainian refugees.
This list of organisations in the UK providing pro bono legal aid for refugees.
This directory of organizations in the US is also providing pro bono legal aid for refugees.
Want to support undocumented individuals and families trying to flee the crisis in Ukraine? Share this Telegram channel.
Some of this information particularly from the more about the situation and ways to help with additional reading resources and more information about particular charities at https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/.
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