Need without end
On Giving Tuesday, here are five aid groups in Ukraine deserving of your support (and one newsletter humbly requesting it)
Volunteers with Myrne Nebo, a nonprofit that delivers food and other humanitarian assistance to hard-hit areas of Ukraine, handed out hot meals to residents in the eastern city of Kupiansk in February 2023. (c. Martin Kuz)
People sometimes ask me for suggestions when they want to make donations to aid groups working on the ground in Ukraine. In truth, the list is endless — a reflection of the desperate need across the country as Russia’s full-scale invasion grinds toward the four-year mark.
On this Giving Tuesday, I’ll mention five charities that represent a fraction of those that I’ve witnessed doing good deeds — heroic deeds — in cities and settlements throughout Ukraine.
At the moment, with peace negotiations ongoing, Kyiv appears under mounting pressure from the United States to swallow concessions that any other Western democracy would deem unacceptable. Meanwhile, the Trump regime’s dismantling of USAID earlier this year has eliminated a crucial pipeline of support for humanitarian organizations in Ukraine (and elsewhere).
Regardless of whether Russia stops firing missiles and drones next week, next year or sometime far in the future, the needs of Ukrainians will persist long after the war ends. So I hope you’ll find a way to help one or more of the following nonprofits — and, if you can forgive the self-promotion, consider a discount offer for a paid subscription to Reporting on Ukraine. (See below for details.)
East SOS. Founded in 2014 after Russia’s initial incursion into Ukraine, this group evacuates civilians from front-line zones and provides an array of supportive services for people displaced from their homes. (I wrote about one of its evacuation teams earlier this year.)
Hospitallers. This volunteer organization of paramedics has evacuated more than 41,000 wounded troops and civilians since its founding in 2014. More recently, Hospitallers expanded its mission to include animal rescue. (Here’s a piece about the perilous work of combat medics.)
World Central Kitchen. In the deadly cold of winter and the withering heat of summer, WCK has kept Ukrainians alive in a literal and emotional sense, delivering nutritious meals and unreserved compassion. (I wrote about its mission of courageous kindness last year.)
Razom for Ukraine. This group’s vital work includes gathering and sending medical supplies to military and civilian hospitals, advocating for the Ukrainian political cause around the world and promoting the country’s vibrant culture within Ukraine and abroad. (I previously explored how the tragedy of war has elevated Ukrainian literature and identity to new prominence.)
The Media Initiative for Human Rights. Founded by a pair of journalists in 2016, this nonprofit documents and investigates Russian war crimes, seeking to hold Moscow to account for abducting civilians, torturing captives and other atrocities. (I recently wrote about one former prisoner of war who was tortured for nearly three years in a Russian prison.)
Finally, for the next week, if you sign up for or upgrade to a paid 12-month subscription to Reporting on Ukraine, you’ll receive a 20 percent discount. If you’re a free subscriber, or if you’re looking for a holiday gift for someone interested in Ukraine, I would sincerely appreciate your support. My work is entirely self-funded, and paid subscribers make this newsletter possible. (You can also support my reporting here.)
Above all else, as the Ukrainian people struggle to survive another winter amid Russia’s genocidal war, please continue to hold them in your thoughts. Thank you.