How To Send Aid To Ukraine

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is rapidly evolving into a humanitarian crisis.

As mummies and daddies ourselves, it is natural to feel empathy and deep concern for the people of Ukraine, particularly the parents and children who are directly affected by the attacks led the Russian army upon civilians. Many parents have reached out to ask us, how can we help the people of Ukraine? How can we reach out in order to help real people, who may not be able to access medicine, food, nappies, warm clothes, or a safe place to shelter? It is truly a heart breaking situation.

We've looked into the humanitarian organisations and charities who are arranging the transport of aid to people escaping the attacks in Ukraine, and how we can donate money and items to them.

How can I help people impacted by the crisis in Ukraine?

The UK Government website contains resources where you can ensure that you're donating to a reputable and legally recognised charity. The government will match, pound-for-pound, every donation made to the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) up to £25 million. Find out more here.

We've taken a look at the best known charities involved in the drive for aid for Ukrainian people, with an overview on what they're doing and how to donate.

Oxfam

Oxfam are talking financial donations in order to provide Ukrainian people with essentials such as food, water, warm clothing, hygiene equipment as well as donations to partner organisations based in Ukraine. Oxfam are members of the DEC - Disasters Emergency Committee - and working with the other member humanitarian aid charities in order to support a disaster response in different areas of speciality.

Donate here

Red Cross

Red Cross are also members of the DEC and are raising money to help the Ukrainian people impacted by the war. So far, they've distributed over 30,000 food parcels, and other forms of aid to 8000 people sheltering in metro stations. Donations will contribute to;

• Providing food, first aid, clean water, shelter support, warm clothing, hygiene parcels and medicines
• Supporting hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Educating people on the risks of explosives
• Supporting fire fighters and civil protection units
• Training people up in life-saving first aid
• Helping families stay in contact with each other
• Repairing vital infrastructure
• Helping to repair homes, healthcare centres, schools and community centres

Donate here

Unicef

Unicef are specialists in supporting children involved in humanitarian disasters - they're desperate for donations to reach the most vulnerable families. £46 can provide one family with an emergency water and hygiene kit. Donations to Unicef will contribute to;

Helping to provide families with access to clean water and healthy food.
Delivering lifesaving supplies to support families who have been forced to flee and are working closely with local health facilities to ensure they have the vital supplies needed.
Helping to make sure that child protection services continue.
Working with partners and the UNHCR to assess the refugee situation across neighbouring countries.
In neighbouring countries they are delivering Blue Dot safe spaces with their partners, which will provide care and support, information to families seeking refuge, psychosocial support, water and sanitation supplies, safe spaces for mothers and children, protection for unaccompanied and separated children and more.

Donate here

I want to donate physical items - how can I do this?

The easiest way to ensure aid gets to those affected seems to be to donate money to trustworthy organisations who are in a position to provide essentials using raised funds - some sources are asking that people avoid sending physical donations, as roads and other means of transport into affected areas may not be reliable due to shelling and other military action. Drop-off donation points across the UK have also been 'overwhelmed' with donations of baby food, nappies, sanitary items and other essentials donated by golden hearted people. Every single donation matters, so if you can't afford a financial donation but do have something that may help, the humanitarian effort does appreciate every single act of kindness.

To find a drop-off spot close to you, check out the list that Grazia has put together here. It may not be exhaustive and some may have stopped accepting donations, so our best advice is to ask on your local Facebook community pages and groups as people in your area may have more 'real time' information. Local charity shops may also be able to point you in the right direction.

We're so proud to see so many kind hearted people in our community wanting to help those in need. All we can hope for is an immediate ceasefire and end to this war, and every single person affected by the actions of Russia is in our heart. Anything new that can be done to help will be added to this article in updates.

Cover image credit: bodkins18 from pixabay via Canva Pro License

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