Ukraine crisis: how you can help

Global charities operating in the UK and Ukraine are appealing for funds to offer aid in the humanitarian crisis.

• The British Red Cross, which has launched an appeal to help the Ukrainian Red Cross to provide food, medicine, clothing and shelter, as well as first aid training in bomb shelters and, in the last few days, 15,000 litres of drinking water to villages in eastern Ukraine
• The UNHCR refugee agency, which is funding emergency shelters, repairs for homes damaged by shelling, emergency cash assistance, psychological support and warm clothing
• Unicef, the UN's children's charity, which is helping to ensure families have clean water and food and that child health and protection services continue
• Save the Children, which is providing cash assistance, food and other support to refugees crossing into Romanian and Lithuania, as well as in Ukraine itself.
• The charity Care International is providing emergency relief through its partner, People in Need, which is already working on the ground in the region. Over the past week, this non-governmental, non-profit organisation has been sending trucks of durable food, hygiene items, nappies, sleeping bags, mats, and other goods.
• Médecins Sans Frontières are responding to medical and humanitarian needs as the conflict evolves. It has been providing training in emergency medicine and surgical preparedness to hospitals, as well as mass casualty kits with supplies for treating traumatic injuries.

The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, the largest representative body for Ukrainians in the UK, has raised more than £1.1m, which it said would fund medicine, food and other essentials.

At a local level check social media or local newspapers for local collections. 

If you cannot find any local collections to donate to, an alternative option is to buy “survival items” from the online aid shop of the charity RefugEase. It sells food parcels, hygiene packs and medical packs.

Financial and political support could not be more critical.

• Make your voice heard – you can write to/email/message your MP to make your views known. Constituents voices matter to MPs and can influence Government policy - so make your voice heard
• Support grassroots action: The Ukrainian Institute London has a list of organisations to support. This twitter thread focuses on LGBTQ+ and youth feminist organisations.
• Further fundraising appeals supporting refugees, disabled people and animal shelters have also been shared on linktree.
• Campaign: Governments have responded forcefully, but there’s more to do. 50 civil society leaders wrote a letter in The Times calling on the UK government to do more.
• Freedom from Torture has posted a thread on how to support Ukrainian refugees, and launched a petition.
• Protests in the capital are being organised by London Euromaidan and the Ukraine embassy to keep up the visible pressure and show solidarity.
• Over 100 Ukrainian civil society leaders have launched the Kyiv Declaration – find out more about their demands and how you can support them.

Apply to be a sponsor

The government will be launching a new sponsorship scheme to make sure that Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes have a route to safety.

The scheme will match people, charities, businesses and community groups to Ukrainians who do not have family ties to the UK.

Details of the scheme and how you can apply will be published shortly by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Social media - staying safe online

The UK Government, Ukrainian Government and others have been sharing messages of support on social media using the hashtag #StandForUkraine

Take care what you share! There is a lot of false information about the conflict circulating online – this is often called misinformation and disinformation. You can do your part to stop the spread:

• Ask yourself – does this look right? Does this sound right? Does this information come from a source I recognise?

• The SHARE checklist can help you decide if information can be trusted, before you interact with or share it on your social media channels