Want to help but not sure how or where? There are plenty of options if you want to do something for the people in crisis.
As the humanitarian crisis in Europe and natural disasters wreak havoc across Australia, we can feel helpless in how we can help.
If you are looking for ways to help both crisis’ we have put together a few tips to help you choose along with some recommendations on charities to donate to.
Choosing a charity can be hard, as you want to ensure you know where the money is going. If you want to donate to a charity here are a few things to consider.
Registered charities are regulated by the ACNC and are required to report information about their activities via an annual report or a statement about where the money raised is going.
Other factors to consider include whether the charity has experience operating during a humanitarian crisis (like in Ukraine or with flood victims), the size of the charity — small charities may be limited on their reach in comparison to large charities, and what the money will be spent on.
While there are some legitimate people and organisations raising money via social media, it's always risky to donate directly via these platforms. This is because the scam rate is really high. During the 2020 bushfires there was a spike in scam activity where people were impersonating relatives of real bushfire victims. You also need to look out for scammers posing as charities. It is best to find a registered charity to donate to is directly via their website and not social media.
The best way to find a registered charity is via the ACNC charity database
Supporting its partner Caritas Ukraine on the ground to provide basic food kits, access to clean drinking water, fuel for winter to vulnerable households, and basic hygiene kits for households in need. Your donation will provide immediate assistance to vulnerable communities impacted by this crisis.
Their team is on the ground in Ukraine helping to provide urgent support for families in evacuation sites or in villages. STC are helping to distribute emergency items such as blankets, medicine and hygiene kits and working in neighbouring countries including Poland, Romania and Lithuania to support people/ families fleeing Ukraine.
UNICEF has offices and teams across Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. In response to ongoing and urgent needs, UNICEF teams and partners are working to reach children and families to help provide emergency water, sanitation and hygiene kits, clothes and blankets and provide children impacted by conflict with psychosocial support.
Donations to the Qld and NSW Floods Appeal will help Red Cross provide vital humanitarian support to people and communities affected by the floods. Support may include enabling volunteers and staff to help with evacuation, relief centres and outreach services. Supporting people and communities to recover and to build resilience to disasters.
Foodbank provides emergency food hampers to thousands of families who have been evacuated from their homes. $35 will provide a flood affected family with the emergency food staples and drinking water they are not able to access.
Right now, The Salvation Army Emergency Services Team and volunteers are in full operation across nine Evacuation and Recovery Centres in QLD and NSW, and have served more than 24,984 meals and refreshments to emergency workers and people escaping from the floodwaters. But their services are being stretched to the very limit. With more support they can continue to provide emergency care in the days and weeks ahead.
A social media campaign designed to funnel money directly to Ukrainians needing financial assistance has gone viral. On March 2 and March 3, people from around the world booked more than 61,000 nights in Ukraine, with no intention of staying, according to an Airbnb spokesperson. Dates are being booked as close to the current date as possible so Ukrainians can receive the money ASAP. Organisers of the campaign also are urging people to make sure the rentals are operated by individuals and not companies. You can also leave messages of support on the Hosts Airbnb page.
Airbnb is waiving guest and host fees in the country and is offering temporary housing in neighbouring countries to up to 100,000 Ukrainians who are fleeing their country.
You can use Etsy the online marketplace to buy a digital file from a Ukrainian seller, such as a poster or an embroidery pattern. This means they receive the money but do not have to post an item to you from the middle of a war zone. You can also purchase a physical item but ask for it not to be shipped and leave a comment of support. Etsy has also cancelled listing fees, transaction fees and advertising fees for its Ukraine-based sellers.
Although you can exclusively search and find seller from the Ukraine on Etsy, it does take a bit of effort. The best way to find a Ukrainian based seller is by using a keyword to filter your search settings and choose “custom”, and then type Ukraine as the shop location.
Please be mindful when doing this as some people have found seller who are not Ukrainian listing ‘stand with Ukraine’ branded items, so do you research first.
Here are some of our top picks:
Many local Australian businesses have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods and equipment, if not everything, lost to the floods ravaging QLD and NSW.
Our of our beloved retailer partners Biome have be affected by the flood crisis with their online distribution centre in Brisbane being flooded in 1.8 metres of water. Biome like many other businesses affected by the flooding are not covered by insurance from flooding - something that has been impossible for most businesses since the 2011 flooding event.
To support Biome or local businesses like Biome you can make a purchase via their online store, any small purchase will help them get their distribution centre back up and running quickly.
Biome have set up a ‘Direct to you’ page on their website where you can purchase items that will be shipped directly from the supplier, to assist Biome recover from the floods.
Lego image courtesy of instagram via @tine.liebts
don’t miss / most popular
