Feeling helpless in Putin’s attack on Ukraine? Here are some things you can do NOW to help.
Like many, I have ties to the country. My dad’s family is from Ukraine. They immigrated to Canada and my dad didn’t learn English until his first day of school. He wanted to visit last summer but delayed his trip due to COVID. We have great hope he will be able to return.
On the flipside, Putin’s war is not indicative of Russian hearts. One of my husband’s employees is Russian and has been keeping him updated. Most of the country is horrified at this development and see through the Russian propaganda. Many have family and friends in Ukraine. But how do you stand up to a dictator and his army? Many are trying with their heroic protests.
Ukraine President Zelenskyy made an impassioned plea to Russians that is a must-watch for all as he shares his love for the places and people he loves in Russia. They are not enemies.
How to Help Ukraine Now
Yale historian and author Timothy Snyder shares that Ukraine is not a rich country. The average household makes less than $7,000 a year. A little money, sent in the right direction, can make a meaningful difference. And it might give you a sense that you have done the right thing, at least in a small way, at the right moment.
Russia and Ukraine are different in many ways. Russia is a militarized country that spends its hydrocarbon earnings on weapons and intervenes beyond its borders on a regular basis. Ukraine has small armed forces with much less impressive weaponry. In Russia, everything is centralized by the state and controlled by one person (we see the result); in Ukraine, decentralization and informality are the rule.
Ukraine’s army is partly crowdfunded.
Everyone has different values, and so here is a range. Please do something. Snyder advises us to help in the following ways.
NGO that arranges life-saving equipment for Ukrainian soldiers: https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate
Hospitallers working at the frontline: https://www.facebook.com/hospitallers/posts/2953630548255167
Ukrainian Women’s Veteran Movement: https://www.uwvm.org.ua/?page_id=3437&lang=en
NGO that assists internal refugees: https://unitedhelpukraine.org/
NGO that assistants internal refugees, especially from Crimea: https://www.peaceinsight.org/en/organisations/crimea-sos/…
NGO that aids traumatized children: https://voices.org.ua/en/
Foundation that assists healthcare and education in eastern Ukraine: https://razomforukraine.org/projects/zhadan/
Also, the Denver Zoo is raising funds for an emergency wildlife fund to support the organizations and personnel working in Ukraine and bordering nations that are providing food, transportation, veterinary care and evacuation for the animals, and support for the zookeepers and other staff
USA Today has also shared these links:
The International Committee of the Red Cross and Ukrainian Red Cross Society support food-producing initiatives and infrastructure repair. Money can be sent as a one-time donation or monthly contribution to the cause.
To help children affected by war, Voices of Children is a charitable foundation that provides psychological and psychosocial support to children,
Army SOS uses donated funds to support Ukrainian soldiers in various ways.
And pray.
-Amber JohnsonAlso, the Denver Zoo has
Author: Mile High Mamas
