last updated on 03/03/2022 12:24
We as Aktion West-Ost (based in Germany) have many contacts in Ukraine through our partner organisations and project participants of the past years, with whom we are and remain in touch. Through these and other contacts in Germany and the neighbouring countries of Ukraine, we try to provide as much help as we can.
We will publish all our news about this here as well as on our social media channels (https://www.instagram.com/aktion_west_ost/ and https://www.facebook.com/aktionwo).
However, we are not an aid agency and can therefore only directly contribute on a small scale. Therefore, we have also put together a collection of suggestions and links for other verified initiatives and fundraising appeals on this page.
You are welcome to share the short link akwo.eu/ukraine for this page with your friends, acquaintances and relatives or post it in your status.
If you know of any other VERIFIED information, please send it to ukraine@akwo.eu so that we can add it here!
Please be vigilant about any appeals you read! Unfortunately, the current situation is also being exploited for fraudulent and propagandistic purposes. So check if the organisation mentioned really exists, or check if you can find reliable information about the person named in the appeal.
Call to action by the National Youth Council of Ukraine on 24th February 2022
Please remain respectful and understanding towards Russians. Not all of the Russian population agrees with Putin. People in Russia who protest against the Russian war in Ukraine, or even "take any action" againt it, risk up to 20 years in prison for "treason against the motherland". Therefore, it is only human that unfortunately not everyone dares to take to the streets. Unfortunately, we have already heard from some of our personal contacts that friends and family members have been arrested.
We hear from many of our Russian contacts that they are being attacked because of their nationality in the current situation - even though they themselves are against Putin's policies.
Practical Help
Monetary Donations
Donating money to established aid organisations is the best way to help the Ukrainian people, because these organisations have a lot of experience in crisis relief and also have staff on the ground, so they can better assess what is needed. And thanks to your donations, they can then make these purchases.
We at Aktion West-Ost do not accept general donations for Ukraine at the moment.
Here you can find a list of donation opportunities for humanitarian aid:
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/countries/ukraine
https://www.caritas.org/where-caritas-work/europe/ukraine/
https://www.lphr.org/en/humanitaere-soforthilfe-fuer-die-ukraine/
https://donate.unhcr.org/int/en/general
Donations in kind
Donations in kind are very difficult to distribute in view of the current security situation in Ukraine. There are only a few aid transports that travel to the Ukrainian border. There, the supplies are received by Ukrainian volunteers and taken further inland.
If you still want to make donations in kind, please write us an email at ukraine@akwo.eu and/or find out which trustworthy receiving points there are near where you live, so that the things actually arrive where they are needed.
You can also check this list to find examples of what is actually useful:
- Toiletries
- Powerbanks, Batteries
- Torches & candles
- Towels and blankets
- mats and sleeping bags
- Gas burners to keep warm
- water bottles
- musli/energy bars
- baby food
- foods that keep for a long time: pasta, rice, legumes, canned goods, ...
- Knee pads, bullet-proof vests, helmets
- Sturdy shoes from size 44
- Warm clothing for larger sizes such as thermal underwear and thermal socks
- Binoculars
- First aid kits
- Medical supplies such as: glucose; catheters; blood transfusion systems; droppers; plasters with skeins; bandages; antipyretic tablets; painkillers, panthenol
- construction lights with a stand
These things are NOT or less needed in Ukraine because they are already sufficiently available:
- Every-day civillian clothing
Offer accommodation
If you are in a position to offer accommodation to refugees, please feel free to contact us by email at ukraine@akwo.eu, because we also receive requests for accommodation in Germany through personal contacts.
If we are not able to find suitable accommodation, you can also offer accommodation through other agencies or websites, for example https://mapahelp.me/.
Local Volunteering
In the coming days and weeks, more and more refugees from Ukraine will arrive in Germany. You can use the internet to look for organisations in your area that provide reception, accommodation, medical/psychological care, food distribution and pastoral care.
Possible contact points in general could be the local committees of the Red Cross and similar institutions, Caritas or also your city administration.
Translating and Interpreting
Not all refugees from Ukraine will speak the languages of the countries they are fleeing to, so many people will be needed who speak Ukrainian and/or Russian to interpret between refugees and helpers or to translate instructions.
You may be able to help on a local level or you can get involved here: https://translatorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/.
Giving Blood
Maybe there is no official request at the moment for the Red Cross to supply blood units to Ukraine but on the one hand, this might change soon and on the other hand blood units will also be needed if/when injured people from Ukraine are treated in your country.
"The DRK/BRK blood donation services point out that a continuous supply of blood donations is essential in order to be able to help immediately even in crisis situations.
For this reason, the DRK/BRK blood transfusion services generally ask people to take advantage of the many blood donation opportunities. Blood donation is also always a very good opportunity for new donors to show solidarity." (https://www.blutspendedienst.com/blog/aktuelles-ukraine.)
You can usually finde opportunities to give blood through your national Red Cross website or similar organisations.
Further Information
very good site with a lot of comprehensive inforamtion: https://www.mitost.org/ukraine/
https://www.standwithukraine.how
https://how-you-can-support-ukraine.super.site/
https://time.com/6151353/how-to-help-ukraine-people/
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ways-to-help-ukraine-conflict/
https://ucu.edu.ua/en/news/how-you-can-help-ukraine-now/
Staying connected
Telegram chat group
We have created a German-speaking chat group on Telegram so that all who want to get involved in relief for Ukraine through Aktion West-Ost can connect and exchange information.
If you would like to become part of this group, please send us a short email to ukraine@akwo.eu.
Discord server
Our partner organisation Initiative Mittel- und Ostereuropa (InMOE) has created a Discord server where information on current aid opportunities can be shared through our shared networks of contacts in Germany and Europe. The information is mainly in English so that more people can understand it.
If you want to join the Discord server, write us a short email to ukraine@akwo.eu.
Daily networking meeting on Zoom
In addition to the Discord server, InMOE holds a Zoom meeting every day at 10 am CET to discuss current developments and ways to help. These meetings are meant for all who want to offer their help as well as those who are looking for helpers.
Depending on who participates in the meeting, the language is either German or English.
If you would like to attend the Zoom meetings (no registration needed!), please send an email to ukraine@akwo.eu and we will forward the meeting link.
Visibility
Picture campaign
To promote the visibility of support for Ukraine, you are welcome to send us a picture of yourself with a statement or post it yourself and tag Aktion West-Ost so we can repost it. With each posting/share we will also add a link for a donation opportunity. You can email your picture to us at ukraine@akwo.eu.
Moral support
If you have personal contacts in Ukraine, write them a message expressing your support, that you think of them and pray for them. You can also add that you don't need a reply, you just wanted to express your support. And of course, it would be nice if you sent more messages in the coming days and weeks.
You can also write to your contacts in Ukraine's neighbouring countries that you are proud of them for their help with Ukrainian refugees in their own countries.
And if you have Russian acquaintances who dare to take to the streets against Putin and this war or to otherwise take a public stand, thank them for doing so and express your support. It takes a lot of courage for Russian civilians to do this and they are taking a great personal risk for themselves and their families.
Demonstrations
Demonstrations for peace in Ukraine and against the Russian government are taking place in many places. You can find out which demonstrations you can take part in near you through your local media and social networks.
There is also a worldwide list of demonstrations where you can look for your place of residence: https://standwithukraine.live/peace-protests/ or https://www.stopputin.net/.
Praying together
Many congregations and organisations hold public prayers for peace. These are also a way to take a stand for Ukraine. In addition, the feeling of community and connection with other people can give you strength, courage and emotional support during this difficult time. Contacts through these prayer events may also lead to opportunities to help on a local level.
Petitions
If you are unable to attend a demonstration in person, you can still express your support: to show your elected political representatives how important peace and an end to the war in Ukraine are to you, you can sign petitions, for example on www.change.org, www.openpetition.eu and other sites. There may also be local offline petitions near you.
Stay informed
Stay informed about the situation in Ukraine.
Please only share information that is verified! Check if appeals are still up to date. Be respectful in what you share.
Keep in mind that both Russian and Ukrainian messages can be strategically motivated. It is therefore better to stick to big, international media outlets, which are better able to verify their reports before publication.