Sending money to Ukraine

[Bruce Tuncks]

For awhile now I've wanted to send some money  ( only $100 or so, which is quite a lot for a self-funded retiree ) to Ukraine. What has held me back is the worry about the integrity of the systems there.

The last thing I want to do is to add to some oligarch's wealth. Any one got a suggestion?

[rgmwa]

There’s a Ukrainian Association in WA and one Vic. Probably more in other States. Maybe contact them. No doubt they will be involved in sending aid to Ukraine.

[willedoo]

Bruce, if you want to be able to directly help, I know a bloke in Kharkiv who has been doing volunteer work since the war began. If you want to make a small donation, I can recommend his cause. He's a really nice bloke with a lovely wife and little daughter. For the first three months of the war they lived in their basement and hosted other families there as well. After that, his wife and daughter evacuated to the west and are living there until it is safe to come home. Alexander stayed behind to look after the needy in Kharkiv. When the evacuations began in the early stages of the war, a lot of elderly and sick people stayed behind. Mostly they couldn't afford to move or had no relatives to help them out. Alexander started organising donations to buy food and medicine for them. He does it hands on, delivering the goods himself; all his old people know him personally.

 

He has quite a network of friends helping out with organising funding and promoting his work. Lately he's started to get a new demographic of needy people which is single mothers. They are starting to return home gradually, but a lot have found that due to the war their jobs no longer exist. Also a percentage have become war widows. I really admire him for what he's done. I can vouch for him if you did desire to make a small donation that would go directly to him. Your money would probably be buying some much needed medicine or food within days of clearing. No big top heavy admin costs, just help direct to the coal face. I've known them pre-war for a few years now. His grandfather would be rolling over in his grave if he knew this war was happening. He was a Soviet air force colonel in WW2 commanding a fighter regiment, and attained the rank of general post war. I have one of the general's flight helmets and oxygen masks in my collection, one of those rare items to be treasured. If you're interested, let me know and I could PM you some details. The most practical way for someone outside Ukraine to send them money is via PayPal.

[Bruce Tuncks]

Thanks willedoo.