The number of casualties and the level of destruction in Ukraine continue to rise since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its neighboring country on Feb. 24. Alongside states imposing sanctions and big corporations pulling out of Russia, citizens all over the world are looking for ways how to help Ukraine.
From providing humanitarian aid on the ground to supporting refugees fleeing from armed conflict, here are practical ways you can help.
1. Donate to organizations that help Ukrainians
Various humanitarian groups are helping people in Ukraine get access to essential needs and health services. For instance, the Ukrainian Red Cross, Nova Ukraine, and World Food Programme offer assistance to the injured, cold, and hungry. UNICEF and Save the Children, on the other hand, are focused on helping children affected by the crisis.
You can also help Ukrainians on the front line by donating to Come Back Alive and Ukraine’s Armed Forces through the National Bank of Ukraine. To aid victims who need medical attention, you can donate to Doctors Without Borders and Sunflower of Peace.
2. Provide legal assistance to asylum seekers
Hungarian Helsinki Committee has been providing free legal assistance to refugees in Hungary for decades. Following the onset of the Russian invasion, the group is focused on helping Ukrainian asylum seekers get free legal assistance. If you’re wondering how to help Ukraine refugees get asylum, you can donate here.
3. Join a peace protest
You can show the people of Ukraine that you stand with them by joining a peace protest. This can also pressure world leaders to do more to stop the conflict. To join a protest, keep an eye out for local demonstrations in your area. You can also check Stand With Ukraine to see if there’s an upcoming peace protest in your location.
4. Assist people with disabilities
Protecting oneself amid military conflict can be all the more challenging for people with disabilities. In this light, Fight for Right provides quick assistance to PWDs in emergency situations in Ukraine. If you’re searching for ways how to help Ukraine PWDs, you can donate to their Go Fund Me page.
5. Sustain local media operations
Having access to reliable information is crucial in times of crisis. The Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s English-language media outlet established on independent journalism, works to bring trusted news from the ground. To help them sustain their operations, you can donate through Go Fund Me.
The New Voice of Ukraine is another media outlet that needs assistance. Many of their journalists have joined the Territorial Defense Forces. Those who remain on duty, on the other hand, have been delivering news while sheltering from airstrikes. And like many media outlets in Ukraine, they try to sustain their reporting amid the collapse of ad revenues. Find out how you can donate here.
6. Give refugees a place to stay
Another way how to help Ukraine is to give refugees a place to stay as they flee the battlefront. Through Airbnb.org, you can host displaced people from Ukraine for free or at a discount. In the same vein, you can also make a donation to help connect refugees with free short-term housing.
You can also donate to the International Rescue Committee, working on the ground in Poland to support displaced families.
7. Spread awareness and fight disinformation
In today’s day and age, wars are fought not only on the ground but also in cyberspace. Unsurprisingly, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who gave orders for the invasion, has had a reputation for mastering information warfare.
One way to help Ukraine is to keep informed about the conflict to avoid sharing false info. That said, it’s crucial to get your news from reliable sources and not from random posts you see online. In addition to that, you can also share verified data to spread awareness and encourage people to take action.
To help you voice out your support for people in Ukraine, Penji has come up with 100+ Free Illustrations For Supporting Ukraine that you can post on social media or use for humanitarian and info dissemination initiatives, 100% license-free. Let’s all work together for peace.
