UPDATE: Thursday, Mar 16, 2023 · 8:45:54 AM +00:00 · KyivGuy
Check the comments below this blog for additional exciting ways to help Ukraine from the Daily Kos readers!
Technical notes:
1) Some of the commentators complained that they were not able to donate to some of the listed Ukrainian initiatives. Practice tells that in most cases, this is a problem with your bank, and it can be solved by communication with the bank and/or the organization you wish to donate to. If you are a US resident, for quick, hassle-free donation, you can take Nova Ukraine or Razom, which are US-registered charities.
2) There are literally hundreds of volunteer and relief groups and initiatives working in Ukraine now. If I don’t mention them in the list, it just means I don’t know them well enough but does not mean that they can not be trusted. There are just too many of them, especially of smaller groups/organisations. Feel free to pick whatever speaks to your soul, but do run some basic due diligence for any substantial donations.
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As promised, I have spent the last week answering every question under my previous posts.
Check your comments inbox if you asked a question, or just go to the posts (first and second) to read all the Q&A.
So, I was a bit surprised – but also excited – to see quite a few requests to comment on the best ways to support Ukraine.
Yes, we still need support, and I will be happy to comment on the various ways to help.
I will start with the general things and move down to specifics, so if you get bored, just scroll down.
1. Please be an active citizen
The biggest support to Ukraine in terms of volumes and quantities comes on a nation-to-nation level. That relates both to military support and to humanitarian support, and also to such important things as diplomatic support in the UN and other international organizations.
Thus, your biggest contribution to the support of Ukraine is your action as a voter and as a citizen of your country. Please make your elected and appointed officials know that you care about Ukraine and that you want them to support Ukraine on your behalf. Letters, calls, rallies, tagging of the state and federal authorities in social media posts – you know better what works for you.
So, your country does a lot for Ukraine, but you are willing to do more?
I have good news for you: there is a very vast range of options, depending on your skills, resources, and personal interests.
2. Some preliminary considerations
In further text, I will mostly rely on my discussions with Daily Kos’ readers, with some relevant additions.
I will refer mostly to the citizen-driven, non-government initiatives, as I believe they are more effective and down-to-earth operators.
Here, I will only mention people and organizations whom I personally know or who are trusted by the people I trust. You are free to run your own checks and due diligence, of course.
(Some of the smaller initiatives have Ukrainian as their main language of communication, but usually they can respond in English as well. If you have any problems in contacting them, write me a personal message and we will try to sort that out).
3. If you want to help Ukraine, help the Ukrainian army first
Let’s get it straight: the best humanitarian aid you can provide to Ukraine is to arm and train the Ukrainian army.
The biggest humanitarian problems in Ukraine came from the Russian invasion, and most of those problems will disappear as soon as the Russian army disappears from Ukrainian soil.
So, if you want to help Ukraine – donate to the Ukrainian army first.
Come Back Alive Charity Foundation. As you probably know, Ukraine has a powerful non-government sector. Come Back Alive emerged as one of the first logistics volunteer organizations in 2014. By 2022, it has grown to become the most respected military support foundation and an independent defence think tank. Your donation to them will give you one of the best return-on-donation ratio in terms of saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
Come Back Alive volunteer proudly demonstrates the biggest purchase of thermal imaging optics ever made in Ukraine — 925 devices. November 2022
There are also several specialized groups focusing on certain aspects of the war. Except for Group 35, all of them have been established since the start of the war in 2014 and have been active since then.
Army SOS: Software for Ukrainian artillery, Ukrainian-made reconnaissance drones, and other useful things.
Aerorozvidka: flying drones, aerial reconnaissance.
Group 35: communications equipment, radio-electronic warfare.
Hospitallers: frontline tactical medicine.
Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital (PFVMH): frontline and near-frontline medical care.
If you are a medic, you can come and volunteer both with Hospitallers and with PFVMH in Ukraine.
Also, you can always donate medical supplies needed by Hospitallers and PFVMH — please write to them directly to learn about their current needs.
PFVMH doctors evacuate a soldier wounded in Lyman, December 2022, Photo: Gazeta.ua, Olha Stenko
Mental health:
Anton Semenov wrote three short brochures on interpersonal connection, communication and support in wartime, mostly focused on servicemen and their family members. He raises money for the printing of the brochures (to be distributed free of charge).
One of my friends is using Applied Improv for mental health training/rehabilitation of servicemen. If you are an Applied Improv specialist and wish to contribute to the project, please write to me for contacts.
You can also find a specific soldier/unit to help them directly.
“So you tell me, what do the guys on the front line say they need the most (that is not ammo/weapons) that I can send?”
This is what frontline soldiers ask for now:
- pickup trucks, jeeps, and minivans (usually secondhand);
- surveillance drones (Mavic 3, Matrice 300 or 30 are frontline workhorses);
- kamikaze drones;
- night vision, thermal vision, optics;
- radios (military grade);
- mobile electricity: generators, batteries, charging stations.
If you wish to donate to a specific military unit, feel free to write me a personal message to discuss. One of the artillery units I know is now raising money for a thermal camera for a drone and for a new Starlink.
4. Some fun ways to donate to the Ukrainian army and release your emotions towards Russia
Your Revenge For: You feel angry about Russia’s actions in Ukraine? You can express your feelings by sending a personal message on an artillery shell. Some vanilla inscriptions are also accepted.
Sign My Rocket: sign an artillery shell for a donation (I didn’t check this one myself but looks legit)
Get a piece of a real Russian SU-34 or a Mi-28 shot down in Ukraine: you can donate to the Ukrainian drone army. Donations over $1000 are rewarded with a keychain made of a piece of a Russian aircraft shot down in Ukraine. (didn’t check this one myself, but it is run by a well-known person)
Actually, if you make any substantial donation to the army effort, you can usually ask to name the relevant tool or device in your honour :)
5. Frontline humanitarian help for civilians
Vostok-SOS: they have been helping the victims of the Russian war in Ukraine since 2014.
Ukrainian Red Cross (they are autonomous from the infamous International Red Cross).
World Central Kitchen is very visible in bringing food where it is most needed in Ukraine. They were entering the liberated areas of Kharkiv oblast at the heels of Ukrainian soldiers.
People greet each other in a newly liberated village in the Kharkiv region. Kamianka, Ukraine, October 2, 2022. Vladyslav Musienko/TheUkrainians.org
6. Support Ukrainian veterans
Superhumans: a brand new hospital being created specifically to treat war injuries, with a particular focus on prosthetics for the amputees.
Superhumans Center proudly presents its first achievements on CNN even before the Center’s official opening
I don’t know if they are raising funds now, but this is an active and well-respected veterans’ organization:
Pobratymy NGO. They run training, consulting and community programs. Their sister project is Veteran Hub. I understand that they temporarily suspended their work in 2022 as most of the veterans went to war again, but they are restoring their work now.
There is also a US-sponsored IREX’s Veteran Reintegration Program.
7. Adopting a family in Ukraine and other humanitarian help
“If I wanted to adopt a family in Ukraine (one that is in need and struggling) by becoming their “patron” and send them gift boxes, letters of support, things to boost their morale, or items that are hard to get there due to the war, how can I find one?”
Your biggest problem would be the language barrier (I am afraid most of the Ukrainians in Ukraine do not speak English). Otherwise, you could just reach out to any trusted Ukrainian around you and ask for the name and contact detail of a person/family in need.
Therefore, you will have to rely on an intermediary of some kind.
First, you can check Children of Heroes – they provide long-term assistance to children who have lost one or both parents at the war. Of course, by supporting a child, you are also supporting the whole family.
10-year-old Saveliy at the grave of his father Igor, who died defending the city in the ranks of territorial defense. Irpin, Ukraine, May 1, 2022. Mykhailo Palinchak/TheUkrainians.org
eDopomoga – is a state-run platform for direct help to Ukrainian families. I don’t know how good it is, but you can check with Kostiantyn Koshelenko, who is the creator and advocate of the program.
This guy is a writer, but for the last year, he was also driving all around the Kyiv region and helping people who lost their homes or otherwise suffered from the occupation.
This organization helps 15 families with HIV and tuberculosis-positive kids in Kryvyi Rih. They have the therapy but lack the medicines for the side effects of the therapy. Feel free to write to me for details.
I also want to acknowledge that Daily Kos runs a link to a Ukrainian relief fundraiser below every Ukraine–related post – thank you for that!
8. Establishing monthly support for an “underemployed worker”
“I read your comments on the unemployment rate in Ukraine, and the difficulties men have, many with families evacuated abroad. Also the comments on jobs paying USD $500 per month, which is not enough to live on. I would be happy to sponsor an “underemployed worker” by matching USD $500 per month with the same amount, and potentially many others here could also help”.
In general, I believe that for an able-bodied person, it is better to earn money, not to receive donations. So the ideal way to help is to invent some kind of job/business here in Ukraine for the people to work and earn money.
A good example I have met was when sponsors financed a reconstruction of a dormitory in a safer region of Ukraine to host IDPs, and some of the IDPs worked on the same reconstruction.
You can also provide long-term sponsorship of any of the humanitarian efforts listed in this blog, and therefore sponsor the job of a local humanitarian help worker. The humanitarian relief sector (mostly internationally funded) has become a significant customer and employer in Ukraine now.
9. Hire a Ukrainian!
“I am a small business owner in the States. I was currently looking to hire someone to manage my website/social media accounts. This person doesn’t need to be in the States. It’s not a lot, but I figured I could maybe find someone in Ukraine to do the job (and thus help out in my own small way). What’s the best way to post a job opening in Ukraine? Are there services to support a global small business like mine hire in Ukraine?”
Place your job on Jooble (indicating Ukraine as a target area, of course). By the way, Jooble was made in Ukraine.
You can also check IT-specialized agencies/freelance marketplaces like Upwork or Djinni. You will have to pay some commission to both services, but hopefully, that would provide you with some minimal verification of the person.
LinkedIn Jobs is a good place to announce your job as well.
Lobby X is a good place that leans toward staffing impact projects.
“Is there some official or approved venue whereby small to mid-size American companies can hire individuals or companies in Ukraine for programming contracts? As usual for Americans with limited language skills, we would need to communicate in English”.
I really don’t think there is any employment venue specifically authorised by the government. But we do have a great talent search industry and infrastructure for software development companies.
If you need a team, you can go to any of the leading outsourcing companies in Ukraine, here is the list of the top 20. All of them work for European or US clients, so there are good chances you will find a decent service.
You can also check Lemon.io — they now offer developers from all over the world, but they were born in Ukraine.
When you a dealing with a specific person, you may casually check if they are still in Ukraine and maybe whether they have a family to land your order with the biggest impact.
For a deeper dive into the Ukrainian IT industry, here is a good resource: Ukrainian Tech Ecosystem Overview.
10. Buy from Ukraine
By buying Ukrainian goods and services, you support Ukrainian businesses, their employees, and the Ukrainian economy in general through taxes. These are some places to look for:
Spend With Ukraine Another platform where you can buy internationally acclaimed pre-selected Ukrainian products and services.
Made with Bravery: an official Ukrainian marketplace where you can find items made by Ukrainians. The marketplace’s commission goes to United24 initiative to reconstruct Ukraine. The rest of the purchase price goes to the Ukrainian businesses that made the items.
11. Do business with Ukraine
Source goods or services from Ukraine. The database of Ukrainian companies is run by the Ukrainian Export Promotion Office.
You can also contact the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine or the same Export Promotion Office to find a Ukrainian supplier for your needs.
12. Support Ukrainian businesses suffering from the war
Keep Going Project supports Ukrainian entrepreneurs who have lost their businesses due to the war, or shifted to army support or another social cause. You can join the cause — the financing needs are usually between $2,000 and $10,000.
Oleh Myroshnichenko is looking for pro bono business advisors for Ukrainian companies looking for an international expansion. In many cases, those businesses were located in the eastern part of Ukraine currently occupied by Russia, but they managed to move their equipment to the west of the country and continue production now.
13. Buy famous Ukrainian postal stamps!
Ukrainian National Postal Service (Ukrposhta) official web store
Ukrposhta’s official eBay store
You can also subscribe to get every stamp Ukrposhta issues during the year :)
Ukrposhta officers and postmen and women play a critical role in providing connectivity to the remote areas of Ukraine, in particular, they deliver pensions to the elderly. Your hobby money will be put to good use.
14. Help Ukrainian lawyers
“Our legal community wants to know what they can do to help your legal community”.
Ukrainian Bar Association provides support to lawyers who suffered from the war. You can also talk to them about other ways to help the Ukrainian legal community.
Dead Lawyers Society Charitable Fund supports Ukrainian lawyers who have joined the army. Their IndieGogo campaign has finished, but they are still active. I will be happy to provide you with the contact, expense reports, and payment details.
You can find more ideas to help Ukraine as a lawyer or a legal community here.
15. Helping Museums and Archives
“Would you have any contacts, groups or recommendations for those of us interested in supporting or volunteering our expertise with those charged with documentation, restoration, conservation and preservation of cultural artefacts, sculptures, monuments and buildings during and after the war?”
Heritage Emergency Response Initiative
Museum Crisis Center
Also, Sergii V. Fazulyanov helps Ukrainian regional archives digitalize their materials. He is a real person whom I know through one handshake and whom you can trust.
You can also purchase this beautiful book celebrating Ukraine’s rich cultural heritage, drawing on over 100 of the country’s most important works of art and architectural monuments from prehistory to the present. Proceeds from the book will go to support Ukrainian writers.
Treasures of Ukraine: A Nation’s Cultural Heritage
16. Learn Ukrainian!
Last year, Duolingo reported 1.3 million new learners of Ukrainian on the app. By studying Ukrainian, you can personally stand against Putin’s dreams of “the final solution of the Ukrainian question” by exterminating Ukrainians and their language and culture. As a bonus, you will understand Ukrainian war memes.
You can also find a real teacher of Ukrainian at PrePly to financially support him or her during the war. Find somebody to your liking and have fun along the way.
17. Help abandoned Ukrainian pets
Happy Paw - a respected pet help foundation.
Unique Planet — it’s run by a friend of a friend.
This lucky guy will be saved from the frosty destroyed Bohorodychne by the joint mission of Zoopatrol Ukraine and Unique Planet. January 2023. Photo: Yehven Kyrpatenko / Texty.org.ua
18. Didn’t find what you were looking for? These are some tips for finding your own way of supporting Ukraine
- Look what you have to share
Money is the easiest way to help, of course. But maybe you have something else? A relevant skill or a profession. Knowledge of the language. A vast and responsive network. Some time. All of that can be relevant.
- Look for the people and organizations working on the ground
Giving directly to people and organizations on the ground, you will save money on the intermediaries and bureaucracy. Also, you would usually get more direct and closer connection to the causes and people you are donating to.
Do you know a Ukrainian around you? Is she involved in any Ukraine support activity? Can she recommend some way to help?
Are you a member of a professional or a hobby association or a church with an international presence, or any other community having a corresponding community in Ukraine? That could be a great entry point.
If you are going to donate more than a few bucks, do some due diligence first. As always, when there is a tragedy, someone will want to make money on the people’s sympathy towards victims. Be careful. Check the identity and reputation of their leadership/management. Have a chat with them, and ask for their track record. Look for references. It is also a good practice for well-run Ukrainian charities to provide expense reports and photo proofs of the relevant deliveries.
- Tax-deducted donations for Ukraine
Many Ukrainian initiatives cooperate with registered US charities and vice versa. In particular, if you wish to donate for humanitarian purposes, you can check Nova Ukraine and Razom, which are US-registered charities.
19. By donating to Ukraine, you support the economy of the free world
A large portion of your donations will go back to the US or EU economy. The staple of a Ukrainian soldier’s medical kit, the CAT tourniquet, is an American brand made in the US. Starlinks, thermal vision devices, medical equipment, drugs, jeeps, even pet food – a lot of things that Ukraine needs and buys now are made in the US or EU – or at least by the US or EU corporations.
Well, that seems to be it!
If you still have any further questions on Ukraine, and, in particular, on the ways you can help, please comment here today in order to get a guaranteed answer.
Once again, thank you everybody in the Daily Kos readers community for the enormous support both for my publication and for the whole nation of Ukraine.
Please keep standing with Ukraine. In every way that you can.
