We are saddened by the loss of lives and the increasing number of casualties in Ukraine. The images that are being broadcast by the media are heartbreaking.
We stand for protecting and strengthening democracy, contributing to social cohesion, and overcoming division. It is our core mission to defend and strengthen European democracy and thus we are focussing all our efforts towards concrete actions which reflect that mission.
We will be supporting Ukraine the best we can through our initiatives and network and we encourage everyone to do the same.
Here’s what you can do to help:
- Donate to official charities (see below)
- Verify your sources to avoid spreading false information and be mindful of what you share on social media
- Reach out to your government and elected officials and ask them to take meaningful action
- Take part in protests, demonstrations and activate your community to engage in supporting actions
- Offer to host displaced persons from Ukraine or volunteer your time and knowledge to aid migrants with translation, residency registration, transport or psychological support
- Support Ukrainian journalism
How to help in Austria
Voices of Children is a Ukrainian organisation supporting children affected by war through psychological first aid.
Caritas is distributing food and sanitary supplies, and a €25 donation will provide for an emergency aid package.
The Red Cross is also supporting people in Ukraine with much-needed supplies.
Three Austrian charities with long-standing presence in Ukraine are Volkshilfe, Nachbar in Not and SOS Kinderdorf.
Doctors Without Borders also receives donations to support their efforts in Ukraine.
How to help in Germany
You can provide overnight shelter for people from Ukraine here.
Shelter4ua.com collects sign-ups from people all over the world who have a spare room and are willing to shelter refugees – simply go to their website and fill out the form under ‘I can help’.
A special multi-currency account has been opened by the National Bank of Ukraine to fundraise for the armed protection of Ukraine.
The following Berlin-based organisations are receiving donations:
Help for refugees
Receiver: Ukraine-Hilfe Berlin e.V.
Konto: Deutsche Skatbank
IBAN: DE24 8306 5408 0004 8722 15
BIC: GENODEF1SLR
Subject: Flüchtlinge Spende Nothilfe Ukraine
Paypal: ukraine.hilfe@gmail.com (comment: Flüchtlinge Spende Nothilfe Ukraine)
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Humanitarian help and medicine
Receiver: PLAST Ukrainischer Pfadfinderbund in Berlin e.V.
Bank: Deutsche Skatbank
IBAN: DE88 8306 5408 0004 2640 37
BIC: GENODEF1SLR
Subject: Spende Nothilfe Ukraine
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For those living in Poland, the city of Gdansk is coordinating volunteers and asking for donations through this website.
Betterplace.org has provided a comprehensive list of ways to donate.
For ways to support BIPOC refugees, head to this resource.
This document also provides many resources and ways that you can help.
The website isupportukraine.eu also helps you host refugee families, attend events, and make donations
Psychological first aid
nilohealth.com, a mental health services company in Berlin volunteers psychologists and psychotherapists that are specially trained for such crisis situations and immediately assists those in need with 1 on 1 sessions.
Stay safe online
European governments, organisations, publishers, brands and individuals have been sharing messages of support on social media using the hashtag #StandForUkraine.
Be careful of what you share! There is a lot of false information about the conflict spreading online, which is commonly referred to as misinformation and disinformation. You can help to curb the spread by doing the following:
- Question before sharing or re-posting: Does this look right? Does this sound accurate? Is this information from a reliable source?
- You can use this SHARE checklist to decide if the information you come across on social media can be trusted
Host a displaced person from Ukraine
Hundreds of thousands of people have become refugees as a result of the war, and one way to help is to offer accommodation if you can.
The international, female based Facebook group Host a Sister is currently focusing their work on support for women fleeing Ukraine. The Elinor network as well as the German-language Facebook group Wohnraum für die flüchtende Ukrainer*innen/ житло для бiжинцiв з Украïни have been used to find accommodation for displaced people, as well as Austrian Facebook groups for international residents.
You can reach out to the Austrian nationwide coordination centre which you can email at nachbarschaftsquartier@bbu.gv.at to indicate that you have space to host a refugee.
Support Ukrainian press freedom
It is more critical than ever to back up dependable Ukrainian reporting. We can all agree that press freedom is a fundamental pillar of any independent state. Russian operatives have been seeding disinformation to destabilize Ukraine for over a decade and aggressively preventing accurate reporting on their attacks this week. Many Ukrainian journalists are now fearful of being physically attacked by Russian soldiers, and are racing to flee the country, which risks leaving a void where exemplary journalism formerly existed.
A host of media support organisations across Europe have set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe to support the country’s independent media. Moreover, publishers like KatapultMagazin.de have focussed their efforts to aid Ukrainian press freedom by hiring 15 Ukrainian journalists, 14 of which are women. You can also donate directly to independent Ukrainian publications like the Kyiv Independent and the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
