General Articles

Donate to charities 

Although this might feel like the easiest way to help, NGOs and foundations across the globe are dedicating their resources to help Ukraine. Although donating clothing and bedding is useful, these charities prefer a cash donation so that it can be accessed quickly and sent to people in need:

• The British Red Cross: The charity has launched a Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal as part of the Disasters Emergency Committee. It will be providing essentials to people in Ukraine as well as those who have fled the conflict. From water and food to repairing infrastructure the DEC is providing vital resources to those who have been cut off from everyday needs. 

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• Razom for Ukraine: Meaning ‘together’ in Ukrainian, the charity acts as the emergency button for the country. In light of the conflict, the team has launched an emergency response which includes delivering tactical medical supplies like antibiotics, providing protective gear for civilian defense, and translating ket documents.

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• Unicef: As the UN’s children’s charity, Unicef’s response to the Ukraine war is all about helping young people and their parents. The charity says that 7.5 million children are now at risk as the conflict continues to escalate. It is providing clean water and food, child protection services, and safe spaces for young people in neighbouring countries.

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Volunteer 

If you can, why not take some time out to support one of the numerous grassroots organisations helping Ukraine? 

Many people have set up donation centres in their towns and cities where people can donate clothes, toiletries, and non-perishable goods. Lots of these organisations will need your help packing and preparing the goods for delivery to the border. It is also important to remember that if you are donating goods, there should only be one type of product in each cardboard box. It is useful if what is inside it is also written on the box in Polish, Ukrainian, and English. Doing both of these things will make it easier for supplies to pass through postage controls and be delivered to those who need them. 

Host a family 

Last week, the prime minister launched a new sponsorship scheme called ‘Homes for Ukraine’. It allows anyone in the UK to volunteer accommodation for refugees and their families, ensuring that they have a safe route out of the country. 

If you can host a family for at least six months, you can find out more about the programme here. 

Stay safe online 

One of the most important things you can do when scrolling through updates on social media is to make sure what you are reading and sharing is truthful. This conflict is becoming characterised by misinformation which is creating a danger for both us and the people in Ukraine. The government recommends following the hashtag ‘#StandForUkraine’ as they are tagging their information and trusted sources with this.

Before you repost anything, think about these things:

• Source: Make sure that the information comes from a reliable source. You should make sure that the URL is normal and whether it is verified. 
• Retouching: Has the content you are about to share been modified or changed in any way? Remember, turn up the volume - this always helps when you are making sense of where videos come from and when they might have been captured. 
• Typos: Keep an eye out for bad spelling and grammar. Often, misinformation has not been passed through official channels so is more likely to read badly.