Watching the news on the war in Ukraine, we all might feel a little powerless. Nevertheless, there are several meaningful ways we can help Ukraine now.

What's happening in Ukraine

On February 24, Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine. By March 28, it's been reported by the UN that at least 1 793 civilians had already been killed and 2 439 injured due to heavy shelling, missile and airstrikes targeting Ukrainian cities. Though, they expect the actual figures to be considerably higher.

Why this matters

Right now, Ukraine isn’t only defending its right to exist but also fighting for the values of freedom and democracy that we all share.

Helping people who are impacted by the current situation in Ukraine means contributing to peace, advocating for human rights and striving for a better world.

HousingAnywhere’s solidarity is with Ukrainians and all innocent people suffering from this unfortunate crisis.

How can I help Ukraine?

There are many ways to make a difference. Choose what feels right to you to support Ukraine and its people.

We suggest to consider:

1. Donating to funds
2. Sending humanitarian aid
3. Hosting Ukrainians
4. Hiring Ukrainians
5. Providing legal aid
6. Volunteering
7. Spreading the word

1. Donating to funds

Ukrainian soldiers are fighting against aggression and inspiring the whole world to unite for peace. Not only men but also women who make up more than 15% of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and members of LGBTQI+ communities are defending their homeland.

At the same time, civilians experience a shortage of daily supplies, including food and medicine. Some of them flee Ukraine, often carrying as little as a plastic bag in their hands.

To help Ukrainians in the time of crisis, you can make financial donation to organisations including:

Come Back Alive is one of the most accountable charities supporting the Ukrainian military since 2014. They don’t use the funds for purchasing arms. Instead, they provide auxiliary equipment, technology, training and ammunition to help save the lives of Ukrainian warriors.

Outright International is a global LGBTQ human rights organisation. They’re collecting funds to be distributed among their partners both in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries. The contributions are used to provide LGBTQIIA+ people with emergency assistance such as a safe shelter, food, competent medical care, evacuation help, and other types of humanitarian support.

Razom Emergency Responce provides humanitarian war relief, depending on the most urgent needs. They purchase medical supplies and collaborate with the government and embassies to facilitate humanitarian corridors.

You can find more charities and organisations to support on CBS News website.

And those who have their funds in cryptocurrency can find a verified list of crypto donation programs here.

2. Sending humanitarian aid

Volunteers in countries all over the world organise humanitarian help for refugees at the borders and people remaining in shelters within Ukraine.

We advise you to look for a local organisation in your city or country collecting donations.

Preferred items include:

• medical supplies,
• food,
• hygiene products for babies and moms.

Ukrainian mail service Nova Poshta has a page that covers everything related to sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine. It includes the addresses of foreign warehouses where you can send your packages.

3. Hosting Ukrainians

According to the United Nations, already more than 3.9 million people have fled the war in Ukraine.

The bordering countries are doing all they can to provide free accommodation, food and other necessary supplies. However, the number of Ukrainians leaving their homes and loved ones behind keeps growing as their safety and freedom continues to be threatened.

The UN stated that

“

one Ukrainian child has become a refugee almost every single second since the biginning of the invasion.

”

You can make a significant difference by opening the doors to your home for Ukrainians in need.

Specially for this, we created a dedicated platform and extra support including:

• No fees charged to anyone by HousingAnywhere
• A safe and secure messaging system to enable direct communications
• A professional customer service team with multi-language support, including Ukrainian & Russian

4. Hiring Ukrainians

Many Ukrainians have lost their jobs and urgently need income. To support them, the EU has implemented The Temporary Protection Directive which grants Ukrainian citizens free access to the labour market in the EU Member States and a residence permit for 1 year.

That means that the procedure of hiring people with Ukrainian passports will be simplified - no sponsorship required.

Besides the obvious websites such as LinkedIn, you can head to specialised platforms to hire Ukrainians:

• Jobs for Ukraine
• Job Aid Ukraine
• Hire for Ukraine

At HousingAnywhere, we have welcomed several Ukrainian specialists with exceptional talents and local language skills to our marketing and customer service teams to support our initiative of connecting people who need a place to stay and who will voluntarily offer their living spaces.

5. Providing legal aid

Legal professionals can offer pro bono immigration or asylum legal aid.

You can do that through one of the social media groups or via an association like The Ukrainian Legal Aid Database. You can register in this database of international volunteer attorneys to get matched with Ukrainian refugees seeking immigration and asylum help.

The database needs:

• attorneys willing to provide free legal services, especially those speaking Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, or Hungarian,
• employees of large law firms, and institutions that can help prepare immigration forms or asylum claims,
• paralegals,
• legal secretaries,
• law student volunteers.

If you’re an attorney, you should sign up via the form on their website.

Other volunteers can send an email to support@ukrainelegalaid.org with some information about how they can assist the initiative.

6. Volunteering

Join one of the local NGOs to support Ukraine. You can help by collecting donations, driving supplies to Ukrainian borders, coordinating or driving Ukrainian refugees to a safe place in the EU.

For example, if you’d like to help by picking someone up from the Ukrainian border, you can fill out this form.

If you’re not from Poland, Romania or Moldova, simply contact the centre responsible for receiving refugees in your country and ask if they need help.

7. Spreading the word

There is a lot of misinformation circulating online. One of the things that each and every one of us can do is to spread the right information from trusted sources about what’s really happening in Ukraine.

You can help raise awareness by sharing information with friends, relatives as well as posting articles, helpful resources and photographs.

You can also show support by joining a peaceful protest in your area. The more people go out and show solidarity around the world, the more positive energy and motivation it brings Ukrainians to continue fighting for their lives and freedom. By joining forces, you can show where you stand to your local politicians, which has the increased power to affect their decision-making.

Some of the trustworthy press covering the current situation in Ukraine:

• The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian independent press in the English language.
• The New York Times, BBC, Washington Post, NPR: all have correspondents reporting from the ground in Ukraine.
• StopFake and Vox Ukraine: internationally verified organisations that fact-check news to fight disinformation and propaganda about events in Ukraine.

You can start helping Ukrainians in need already now. Open your doors to people fleeing their homes through HousingAnywhere.