How You Can Help Ukraine

Originally posted by Solihull Council here

In response to the crisis and rapidly changing situation in Ukraine, many people in Solihull are looking for ways they can help refugees and people caught up in the conflict.

We want to reach out to all of our Ukrainian residents, and anyone with friends and families affected by, or concerned about, events in Ukraine. The information on this webpage will be able to direct you to official sources of information, advice and opportunities to provide practical help and support.

Information and advice:

• If you are a resident with friends and family in Ukraine and need information or support about what is happening, please contact the Ukrainian Embassy

• For information on travel advice to and from Ukraine, please visit the foreign travel advice on the Gov.uk website  

• For free UK immigration advice for Ukrainian nationals on immigration matters please visit the Ukraine Advice Project UK
• For information and guidance on Home Office concessions for family members of British nationals in Ukraine, and Ukrainian nationals in Ukraine and the UK please visit here and here
    
• For guidance on UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals and their family members please visit the uk website
  

There are many practical ways to help with the situation in Ukraine. You can help families and children caught in the conflict by making a monetary donation or by donating items to keep them safe, warm and fed.

Donations:

Global charities operating in the UK and Ukraine are appealing for funds to offer aid in the humanitarian crisis.

Among the organisations collecting funds for Ukraine are include:

• The British Red Cross, which has launched an appeal to help the Ukrainian Red Cross to provide food, medicine, clothing and shelter, as well as first aid training in bomb shelters and, in the last few days, 15,000 litres of drinking water to villages in eastern Ukraine
• The UNHCR refugee agency, which is funding emergency shelters, repairs for homes damaged by shelling, emergency cash assistance, psychological support and warm clothing
  
  
• Unicef, the UN's children's charity, which is helping to ensure families have clean water and food and that child health and protection services continue
  
  
• Save the Children, which is providing cash assistance, food and other support to refugees crossing into Romanian and Lithuania, as well as in Ukraine itself
  
  
• The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, the largest representative body for Ukrainians in the UK, are working with accredited and registered Ukrainian charities to provide medicines, food and critical services to support the most vulnerable to overcome the consequences and trauma of war.
  
  

For further information on how and where you can help, please visit the Gov.uk website.

Please note, the Council, in line with the Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator, is urging the public to ‘give safely’ to registered charities helping and supporting those affected by the invasion of Ukraine.

Residents are therefore advised to give to a registered charity, to have assurance that their donations contribute to the right causes.

People looking to donate to causes working in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, can quickly check a charity’s name and registration number on the Gov.uk website  and a dedicated Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) page has been established, where funds for Ukraine are being collectively raised: https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal

When large-scale disasters hit countries without the capacity to respond, the DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently, and residents are therefore encouraged to give funding to this cause if they would like to donate.

We will keep this page updated as the situation evolves.