Note from our team: The situation in Ukraine is actively evolving, as are the needs of citizens in the country and neighboring regions. We will be keeping this list up to date with the evolving ways we can help in the coming days and weeks.
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched an unprovoked, large-scale military invasion of Ukraine causing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis due to relentless shelling attacks on residential areas of the country. Amnesty International said that it had collected and analyzed evidence showing that Russia had violated international humanitarian law, including attacks that could amount to war crimes.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees it’s now estimated that 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the conflict began, however, not everyone has managed to reach safety.
Across the capital, charities and organisations are rallying to bring vital funds, supplies and shelter to those in need as quickly as possible. In light of this incomprehensible act of violence towards the Ukrainian people, we’ve compiled a list below of various resources to support Ukraine. You can also check out How To Help Ukraine Now with a variety of country-specific resources based on your location.
There are lots of organisations across the UK and internationally that have launched appeals, and you may wish to donate through these organisations instead. There are some simple steps you can take to ensure your money is safe and being used effectively:
- Check the charity’s name and registration number using the UK Government’s search charity register tool
- Most charities with an income of £5,000 or more must be registered, which means they are regulated by The Charity Commission
- Make sure the charity is genuine before giving any financial information
- If in doubt, ask the charity or organisation for more information
To donate to:
UNICEF supports health, nutrition, HIV prevention, education, safe drinking water, sanitation and protection for children and families caught in the conflict in Ukraine. You can support their emergency work by donating here.
Nova Ukraine works closely with Ukraine-based organisations and is currently assembling supply packages that include diapers for children and adults, baby food, hospital supplies, and dry foods for a children’s orphanage in Donetsk.
Sunflower of Peace is raising money to put together first aid backpacks for paramedics and doctors on the front lines.
The British Red Cross is taking donations to the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee), which launches appeals during times of monumental suffering, which is the case in Ukraine right now.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people.
CARE is raising money for its Ukraine Crisis Fund, which will provide immediate aid including food, water, hygiene kits, support services and direct cash assistance. The humanitarian organization aims to raise $20 million and help at least 4 million Ukrainians. It says it will prioritize women and girls, families and the elderly.
For those in the UK, donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal. The UK Government will match public donations to this appeal pound-for-pound up to £25 million.
Teams from the charity 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.
Here in London, the UK’s Ukrainian Embassy has set up its own donation service, With Ukraine, meanwhile Polish Humanitarian Action is supplying hygiene products, food and blankets to those in need on the Ukrainian/Polish border.
On the ground in Kyiv, Ukrainian NGO Come Back Alive is urging people to donate to help support democracy in their country.
To support:
Apply to be a UK sponsor – The UK 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.
Attend protests – Follow the Ukrainian Solidarity Campaign and Euromaidan London on Facebook for details of upcoming protests to do with Ukraine. London’s Ukrainian Institute has ready-made posters and leaflets you can print here.
Fashion collective Future Archive, along with 19 guest designers, have teamed up to create a fashion raffle fundraising for Ukraine. Featuring items including garments from fashion week favourite Georgios Trochopoulos along with Mega Mikaela, Liberty Rose, Thora Stefansdottir and Mega Mikaela, accessories from Eleanor Butler Jones, Gina Grünwald and Paula Canovas Del Vas and mystery boxes from as little as £5, all money donated will be equally split among Ukrainian Pride, Bridges Over Borders Berlin, Drift Support Fund & Save The Children.
Boiler Room have partnered with long-time collaborator, Ukrainianartist Masha Batsii to create a limited edition charity t-shirt with all profit being donated to the International Rescue Committee, who are providing emergency aid and assistance to those displaced by the current war. Boiler Room were due to broadcast from Kyiv this month, but due to the current circumstances, they have refocused their efforts, platform and community to provide much needed support to the people of Ukraine. The t-shirt is available to pre-order here until 11th March.
Independent fashion retailer AP0CENE has launched Raffles for Relief, a raffle of garments, bags, handmade jewelry, Apple-vegan leather shoes, and accessories are all being raffled from more than 20 emerging designers, supporting humanitarian aid in Ukraine, Palestine and Somalia. The raffles officially close on March 11th, at 11pm PST.
Michael Wall and SPA collaborate to create two hand-painted, framed SPA t-shirts, available to win by entering an online virtual lottery. The lottery tickets are £10 each and will be available to buy from March 2nd – 12th via SPA’s web-shop. Winners will be selected randomly, with 100% of proceeds from lottery sales donated to Save Life – Ukraine’s main charity fund. Multiple entries and ticket purchases are encouraged to raise more money and increase the chances of winning the limited-edition pieces.
Sick Love Zine has released its latest zine collection celebrating youth culture around the world, focusing on four non-capital cities including Kyiv, Ukraine. Although 3rd in the project, it will be releasing the Kyiv zine first due to the invasion of Ukraine. “Meeting all involved and visiting such a beautiful country was a huge pleasure of mine and one I will always cherish,” says founder and Editor-in-Chief Isobel Gorman-Buckley. All profits from this publication will be donated to Ukrainian LGBTQ+ and feminist NGO Insight, who are currently covering basic needs in protection, safety and health for LGBTQ+ people during the war. Pre-order the zine here.
To read:
How Ukraine’s LGBTQ+ community is rallying to resist Russian invasion by GalDem
Trans people in Ukraine left “stuck” in Kyiv following Russia’s invasion by Gay Times
Pushed back because we’re Black’: Africans stranded at Ukraine-Poland border by France24. Nigeria and South Africa have expressed alarm at reports that their nationals are being stopped from leaving Ukraine and news outlet France24 met with several African students who expressed how they were pushed back at the border of Poland, while their white counterparts were allowed to pass.
Do you have personal experience/expertise on events in Ukraine, and would like to share your perspective through BRICKS? Email prishita@bricksmagazine.co.uk with your pitch for a paid commission. We’d love to offer you a platform to contribute in a meaningful way.
Supply Donation Points
One of the best ways to help is by donating cash through trusted charities and aid organisations, rather than donating goods. Cash can be transferred quickly to areas where it is needed and individuals and aid organisations can use it to buy what is most needed. Unsolicited donations of goods, although well-meant, can obstruct supply chains and delay more urgent life-saving assistance from getting through. Organisations across the UK are gathering essential supplies, such as clothes, first aid and sanitary products.
London:
There will be a supply donation point at the CSM building in London from 12PM-5PM this Friday, the 4th of March.
Supplies in demand:
- batteries / flashlights / candles
- diapers / dressings for children of different ages
- dry sanitary products
- thermal clothes / thermal shirts / long johns / gloves
- painkillers
- dressings
- duvets / blankets / sleeping bags / pillows / sheets
- First Aid Kits inc. bandages
List of Petitions to Sign
You can find your MPs contact details here and the Ukrainian Institute has drafted a template email here (available in English, French, Spanish and German).
For those working in the fashion industry, magazine 1 Granary has created a Fashion Unites Against War open letter for industry members to sign in support of the Ukrainian people and to strongly condemn the invasion by Russia.
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