How can I help Ukraine?

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Social media thrives on emotive behaviour. You come across information on your feed and in seconds, your mind deciphers its stance. It’s even all the better for the algorithm, if one of your followers has also shared their stance by liking or reposting that piece of information.

If social media is the vehicle, you are the engine and news is the fuel. If there’s such a thing as good quality fuel, global unrest has set the standard.

Here's an example – in 2020, the global outcry following the murder of George Floyd caused my Instagram feed to be covered in black squares which signified support for the Black community. Less than a year later, a report sponsored by the UK government gaslit the same community by highlighting that the UK is “not deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”. This report was a naïve attempt at masquerading microaggressions as harmless or posing systemic racism as an imagination. Still, this fuel seemed to be low quality as there was hardly any recognition on my Instagram feed. 

Today, we have good quality fuel which is the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. We watch as governments flaunt their egos and threaten another world war as though people’s lives aren’t at risk. We watch as Vladimir Putin has provoked nations without consideration for humanity.

Our minds are overhauled with information as it works to decipher the truth which appeals to it.

You have to wonder:

  • Does Putin truly understand the negative impact of displacing Ukrainians from their home?
  • What considerations should be given to the poor working-class Russians who bear the ramifications of the sanctions placed on Russia?

Nonetheless, as my mind works to find an opinion, there is a clear fact to highlight. War and civil unrest disproportionately affect women, children and disabled people. This is applicable to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, in fact, the United Nations have admitted that black and brown refugees have also faced discrimination whilst managing the displacement from their homes. War reveals the cruelty and depth of love within humans. So even as we work out the questions within our minds.

We have a social responsibility to the marginalised communities impacted by this conflict.

Here are some ways to show support:

  • Support local journalism such as Kyiv Independent and the New Voice of Ukraine
  • Use Etsy to search for small business located in Ukraine and purchase digital downloads that don’t require the seller to send anything out.
  • Red Cross of Ukraine have a fundraiser to help the civilian population by aiding refugees and training doctors, click here to donate to their appeal.
  • Nova Ukraine are a Ukraine-based non-profit that provides citizens with baby food, hygiene products, clothing, household supplies etc, click here to donate to their appeal.
  • UN High Commissioner for Refugees are upscaling relief operations to support fleeing civilians by providing shelter, food and specialist protection, click here to donate to their appeal

How to support African refugees fleeing Ukraine?

  • Korrine Sky, a British-Zimbabwean student who has been helping coordinate resources for Afro-Caribbean students fleeing Ukraine, shared a thread on Twitter with ways to help. This thread also includes a link to a GoFundMe run by Londoner Tokunbo Koiki. The funds will be used to organise "accommodation and flights" for refugees who are fleeing to Poland.

How to support LGBTQ+ refugees fleeing Ukraine?

  • OutRight International is a global LGBTQ+ human rights organisation, they are currently accepting donations on behalf of local LGBTQ+ organisations.   

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