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Here’s how Europeans can help Ukrainian refugees

If you want to help Ukrainians forced out of their homeland, here are some helpful links and resources

Ukraine

Here’s how Europeans can help Ukrainian refugees. Source: depositphotos.com

Since Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, almost 4,8 million people have left the country to seek shelter and safety abroad. They say it’s the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since WWII.

Help from anywhere

Wherever you are, there are ways to support Ukraine and its citizens to withstand the horrors of the war and their forced evacuation.

Hosts from any country ready to provide accommodation for Ukrainian refugees can register at UkraineNow. Here you can indicate additional ways you can help (help with jobs, legal help, IT assistance, medical assistance, etc). The NGO also provides official donation links to support both civilians and the Ukrainian army (including crypto donations).

If you want to offer a temporary place to stay to refugees, you can also apply at Airbnb.org. Accommodation for free or at a discount through this resource, or donate to help the organisation fund free accommodation for people fleeing from the war. Airbnb.org partners with nonprofits that check refugee guests for eligibility and assist them before, during, and after their stays. Hosts are protected with AirCover, which includes $1 million in liability insurance, $1 million in damage protection, and more.

Those ready to help financially, please check the options to donate money to various charitable organisations dealing with the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis and supporting refugees at StandForUkraine.

Poland

To coordinate the efforts of volunteers, the Government of Poland has launched the PomagamUkrainie website, which connects refugees who need help with those who want to help them. Here refugees can find information about transportation to and within Poland, obtaining legal status, healthcare, getting a job, locations where they can get free clothing and food, etc. Organisations and individuals in Poland can also register with an offer of help with accommodation, food, volunteer services etc. The website also provides a list of necessary products and resources, as well as detailed information on humanitarian aid donations.

The joint initiative of Koszyk365 and the Polish Red Cross – Together for Ukraine – allows you to purchase essential products for Ukrainian families affected by the war. You can choose the products yourself or pay a certain sum to let the organisers form individual packages with essentials. The partners deal with all the logistics.

Krakow

In Krakow, a former hypermarket in the Plaza mall has been renovated and turned into a large “shop” offering free clothes for refugees. It includes fitting rooms as well as play areas for children. The initiative – known as Szafa Dobra –  is open at Aleja Pokoju 44 from Monday to Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The shop is also accepting donations of clean undamaged clothing between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the same days.

Lublin

Please, check the instructions from the Centrum Kultury w Lublinie to see how you can help refugees in this city. Those looking to donate food should visit collection points.

Gdansk

Fundacja Gdańska is accepting donations and all possible help from local volunteers (psychologists, pedagogues, owners of apartments/rooms for rent, people who know the Ukrainian language, employers who can offer work, helpline staff, etc).

Wrocław

Wroclaw Centre for Social Development is coordinating the aid action. You can contact the centre by email wsparcieukrainy@wcrs.pl if you would like to donate material aid or engage in voluntary activities, know the Ukrainian or Russian language, are a lawyer or an entrepreneur who could employ people from Ukraine. You can also bring material aid to local collection points.

Germany

For charitable donations of money, medical supplies, food, clothing and essentials, visit the websites of approved organisations:

If you wish to provide accommodation to refugees, check the list of websites to register your offer. To accommodate pets, check the Tasso website.

Berlin

Help the refugees upon arrival. Please, check the updated lists of needed essentials for every particular arrival station from the volunteer initiative Berlin Arrival Support which coordinates donations and donors to source much-needed relief supplies for the often exhausted and sometimes destitute refugees arriving in Berlin.

Buy the indicated medical supplies and visit the collection points of Vitsche or donate money to the organisation that is delivering critical medicines from Berlin to hospitals all over Ukraine.

Bring humanitarian aid to the help centres at Pilecki Institut or Moabit Hilft.

The information resource BerlinLife suggests additional ways and means to help including organised protests, hiring Ukrainian talent, help as a volunteer, host people and pets, and more.

Vostel.de also provides links for supporting Ukrainian journalists aiming to show the world the truth about the war, charities that support marginalised groups (such as LGBTQ+, foreign students, or people with disabilities) who have fled Ukraine, as well as the link to a crisis chat for psychological support for Ukrainian refugees in Germany.

Frankfurt

The City is coordinating volunteer efforts via the frankfurt-hilft.de platform and has set up two e-mail addresses for people who want to help.

Anyone who wants to offer housing can register by sending an e-mail to wohnraum@frankfurt-hilft.de.

Anyone who wants to volunteer can register by sending an e-mail to ukraine@frankfurt-hilft.de.

The staff are collecting all offers and will get back to you.

If you want to donate money to help refugees settling in Frankfurt, you can use the following bank account:

Payee: Stadt Frankfurt – Kriegsgeflüchtete Ukraine

IBAN: DE77 5005 0201 0200 7705 19

BIC: HELADEF1822

Reference: Ukraine

Czech Republic

Citizens of the Czech Republic can help refugees arriving from Ukraine financially with the help of the following institutions:

If you have clean unused clothing in good condition, you can bring it to Salvation Army branches. Food and essential supplies are collected in all regional Food Banks. Other humanitarian aid collection points can be found at StandForUkraine.

Prague

House of National Minorities in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in Prague is collecting medical and military equipment at Vocelova 3, Praha 2, Phone: +420 777 686 240, every day, 08:00–20:00. The link also contains other ways to help Ukraine.

Silicon Hill, Student Union Club ČVUT is accepting sleeping bags, blankets, mats, warm clothes, medical and hygiene products. Please send an email in advance to pomoc@siliconhill.cz.

Student Dormitory Švehlova also helps Ukrainian refugees. The reception of the Švehlova Dormitory, Slavíkova 1499, Prague 3 (6:00–24:00), Kateřina Junáková, +420 770 141 722, kolejni.rada.svehlova@gmail.com

Another location accepting humanitarian aid for evacuated Ukrainians is Uhříněves, Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, Husova kaple, Husovo nám. 378/40, 104 00 Praha 22.

Brno

Humanitarian aid can be brought here:

  • Faculty of Architecture, VUT. Galerie MINI, Poříčí 273/5, Brno  (entered from the Bělidla street or through the main entrance), Mon – Fri: 6:00 to 20:00, Sat – Sun: 08:00 to 18:00.
  • MENDELU. Generála Píky 7, Brno-Královo Pole, every day, 11:00–19:00.
  • Expediční klubovna Brno. Jezuitská 1, Brno-střed. Mon-Sun 09:00 – 21:00.
  • Goose on a String Theatre (Divadlo Husa na provázku). Zelný trh 9, Brno-střed, every day, 10:00–20:00.
  • Bohéma vaccination centre (Janáček Theatre), 08:00 to 19:00. The list of needed essentials is on this website.
  • Women’s Educational Association Vesna is collecting various items and seeks volunteer help in assisting Ukrainian refugees around the town.

Hungary

Help points have been set up near all border crossing points on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border. In Budapest, the Hungarian government has turned a major sports and concert hall, called the BOK Sports Hall, into a humanitarian transit point for refugees.

The Hungarian government is coordinating the collection of aid, donations, humanitarian aid supplies, and the work of domestic relief organisations through the National Humanitarian Coordination Council. You can contact the council or local help points to find out which volunteer services are needed.

There are numerous resources to donate money to charitable organisations taking care of Ukrainian refugees:

Those who want to provide accommodation to refugees can use a dedicated website called Shelter UKR.

Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) receives, sorts, and logs humanitarian aid donations from the public.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH) also coordinates support, financial aid, and other measures assisting refugees at the central office.

Spain

The government of Spain has set up four Reception, Care, and Referral Centres (CREADE) for Ukrainian refugees in Barcelona (municipal pavilion of the Fira), ​​Madrid (Pozuelo de Alarcón), Alicante (Ciudad de la Luz), and Málaga (Palacio de Ferias). Volunteers can contact these centres to offer help and find out about the current needs of newly arrived Ukrainians.

Across Spain, there are numerous collection points for practical donations such as clothes, food, blankets, tents, medicines and medical equipment.

  • Madrid – Ucramarket supermarket in Calle Mendez Alvaro, 8 near Atocha
  • Barcelona – the Ukrainian community is coordinating donations through the Ukrainian consulate
  • Sevilla – Ukrainian Catholic Church
  • Valencia – the Fallero Centre
  • Costa del Sol – full list here

If you wish to donate money to Ukrainian refugees, you can address these verified institutions:

The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has announced a new pilot programme for the reception of those fleeing Ukraine. It will run in four provinces across the country: Madrid, Barcelona, Murcia and Malaga. To host refugees, families in Spain must make an application of interest. They will be evaluated in collaboration with city-level social services and third sector entities, in order to determine whether or not they have the capacity to host Ukrainian refugees and if their housing is adequate for such a purpose. Once an application is accepted they will be formally registered. The scheme is implemented through the Ministry and La Caixa Foundation. If you want to offer accommodation through the government scheme, you can look for details at this website, call  900 67 09 09 or fill out the application form.

Spain’s well-known charities are running their own schemes within different regions of Spain and invite those with homes to offer to get in touch.

  • CEAR: Andalucía (Málaga, Sevilla, Cádiz), Basque Country and Canary Islands (Gran Canaria and Tenerife).
  • ACCEM: Andalucía (Córdoba), Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y León, Murcia, Asturias, Extremadura, Aragón and Galicia.
  • Cruz Roja: Andalucía (Almería, Granada and Huelva), Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Catalunya, La Rioja, Madrid, Navarra and Valencia region.

Besides, you can contact EU4UA – the EU wide initiative matching those offering accommodation with fleeing Ukrainians who need it.

BBVA customers and employees can donate to support initiatives launched by UNICEF, UNHCR, Red Cross and Doctors of the World through the Bizum app. To donate, click on ‘Contribute to a solidarity cause’, enter the code of the chosen NGO and the amount you wish to contribute.

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