With the crisis in Ukraine, large numbers of people have left or are leaving their homes in Ukraine for the safety of other countries. The greatest number have arrived in or are trying to cross into Poland. Significant numbers are also relocating to Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and other European countries. Many people from the eastern regions of Ukraine have moved to the Russian Federation.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN refugee agency, more than 600,000 refugees fled Ukraine in the six days ending 1 March 2022, and ‘the situation looks set to become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century’.

The countries that neighbour Ukraine have kept their borders open for refugees, and many citizens in those countries are doing what they can to help those fleeing the conflict. However, a movement of refugees this large requires a mobilisation of effort from people around the world, not just in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries.

Ways You Can Help

Support international organisations that provide direct assistance to refugees from Ukraine. These include

• UNHCR, https://www.unhcr.org
• International Rescue Committee (IRC), https://www.rescue.org
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), https://www.icrc.org
• People in Need, https://www.peopleinneed.net
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), https://www.unicef.org
• Global Giving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund
• International Medical Corps, https://internationalmedicalcorps.org
• Doctors Without Borders, https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Identify Ukrainian associations in your country that are organising support for the people of Ukraine:

• Information about some of these initiatives in Poland has been compiled by Polish Righteous (https://wystawy.sprawiedliwi.org.pl/wystawa/sprawiedliwi-bez-granic/en/home/be-active-be-helpful/organizations).
• Examples in the United Kingdom (UK) include the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), which has set up a GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpukraine), and British Ukrainian Aid (https://british-ukrainianaid.org). Others are listed on the Mayor of London website (https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/communities/migrants-and-refugees/how-you-can-help-ukraine).
• In Ireland, you can donate through the Irish Red Cross (https://www.redcross.ie/latest-appeals/ukraine-crisis-appeal), or read this page from the Irish Mirror on ‘Nine ways people in Ireland can help support Ukraine’ (https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/nine-ways-people-ireland-can-26319496).
• Care Australia is accepting donations (https://www.care.org.au/blog/how-to-donate-to-ukraine-from-australia), or you can look up other ideas from the Daily Telegraph, ‘How Australians can help Ukraine’ (https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/how-australians-can-help-ukraine/news-story/56d37a5f7af2f3540280b244cc6100c8).

Find out what resettlement organisations and initiatives in your country are helping refugees from Ukraine. Ask what support these organisations or initiatives need, whether in the form of financial contributions, volunteer services or housing for refugees. They might need volunteers to help with

• Border or airport pickups
• Providing short- and long-term housing (if you are a landlord or have space in your home)
• Setting up apartments
• Meal assistance
• Tutoring or mentoring
• Coordinating a donation drive
• Interpreting (if you speak Ukrainian or Russian)
• Legal assistance (if you are a lawyer)

Provide housing. If you’re a landlord or have space in your home, consider providing short- or long-term housing to newly arrived refugees:

• AirBnB coordinates with its hosts, and with donations from the public, to provide free emergency housing to displaced people, including Ukrainian refugees. Learn more at https://www.airbnb.org/get-involved.
• Ukraine Take Shelter is a new independent platform set up by two Harvard students specifically for Ukrainian refugees connecting refugees with potential hosts and housing. Find out more at https://www.ukrainetakeshelter.com.
• A small, volunteer network has set up the Shelter for Ukraine website via Google: https://sites.google.com/view/shelterforukraine/home.

Provide jobs. If you’re an employer, consider providing jobs to newly arrived refugees.