Helping Ukrainians Directly

Easy ways to get money to people in Ukraine right now

As the sieges become more murderous, and the bombings and shellings more numerous, people in Ukraine need help immediately.  More and more Ukrainians are cut off from their sources of income.  But the banks and the ATMs and the credit cards still work, and we can supply the cash.  Some of you have asked if there are ways to get money to Ukrainians in need without overhead or delay.  There are. 

1.  The anthropologist Dr. Anastasia Piliavsky has contacts in southern Ukraine, where some of the worst fighting is taking place.  If you entrust her with a donation, she will then screen individual applicants in Ukraine and get your money to people in need directly.  You can make donations via her bank accounts here or read about what she is doing here.

2.  People have been using Airbnb to transfer money to Ukrainians by booking rooms they do not intend to use.   A number of people I know have done this, and it has become common practice.  If you do this, make sure the phone number of your host has a 380 prefix (country code for Ukraine).  Contact the host ahead of time, and explain to your host that you are not intending to come and that you want to help your host's family, friends, and community.

3.  Another widespread and reliable way to get money directly to Ukrainians is to make a purchase on Etsy from a Ukrainian vendor.  You can either buy a digital good or purchase something physical and explain that you don't need it shipped.

Kyiv apartment building, shelled by Russia on 15 March

Let me also mention three organizations in Ukraine devoted to the survival and healing of Ukrainian soldiers to which you can donate directly and easily.

4.  The Hospitallers are medics working at the front line in Ukraine.  You can donate to them with PayPal under scottdivelbiss@gmail.com

5.  Come Back Alive concentrates on protective gear and other equipment for soldiers.  You can donate to them directly with a credit card here.

6.  Army SOS includes medical gear but also tilts towards everything soldiers need.   You can donate via PayPal under agarkov_pasha@yahoo.com

I am now going to down this list and make several donations. I hope that you will do the same.  If you want to give through recognized charities in the US, Canada, or Europe, I will have more suggestions about those soon, and I have mentioned several in previous messages.  I will also write a message about NGOs in Poland helping refugees.  If you would like to make a charitable donation for humanitarian assistance to a 501(c)3, a safe bet among recognized U.S. charities is the emergency fund at Razom. Please share this post with others who might want to help right away. Thank you.

A Kyiv firefighter comforts a resident whose apartment building was shelled on 15 March.