Statement on Ukraine
As a company that has worked in Ukraine, The Bassiouni Group denounces the war in Ukraine and we unequivocally condemn the violation of international law and order.
The unprovoked Russian military invasion in Ukraine is in direct opposition to the values that are core to our organization. Left unresolved, it will lead to further loss of life, suffering and devastation across Ukraine, Eastern Europe and Europe.
We stand with the Ukrainian people and we call for an immediate end to all armed hostilities. We call for extended opening of humanitarian corridors and we also call for an extended ceasefire to enable safe evacuation and peace talks.
As of March 4th, more than 1.2m Ukrainians have fled their country. Learn how you can help the Ukrainian people and refugees by clicking below (via CNBC and The Guardian and TIME):
Organizations Providing Medical Supplies and Humanitarian Aid
Razom for Ukraine - Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, is a volunteer charity organization that was founded in 2014 to support Ukrainians after Russia annexed Crimea.
GlobalGiving Ukraine Relief Fund - GlobalGiving is using all donations to support humanitarian assistance to impacted communities in Ukraine, as well as the surrounding regions where refugees have fled. Donating to the cause will provide basic necessities such as shelter, food, clean water, including health, psychosocial support, access to education and economic assistance and more.
Jewish United Fund: Crisis in Ukraine - Serving all faiths in Chicago, Israel and across the world, JUF is delivering humanitarian aid to 40,000 poor Jewish elderly and families in Ukraine. The organization is prioritizing aid to the nearly 10,000 Holocaust survivors living in Ukraine, many of whom are homebound.
International Aid Organizations
Most large international aid organizations, including UNICEF, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and the International Rescue Committee, are currently working in Ukraine and neighboring countries, where a growing number of displaced people are fleeing.
UNICEF - UNICEF mainly supports children and families caught in conflict in Ukraine. The agency provides educational support, psychosocial support, emergency supplies as well as access to safe water. The organization announced it has scaled up its programs following the invasion. Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, said the intensifying violence in Ukraine posed immediate threats to the lives and wellbeing of the country’s 7.5 million children.
Save the Children - The London-based organization works to provide life-saving aid to children around the world, including 400,000 children “caught in the crossfire of this adult war” in Ukraine who already required assistance.
Voices of the Children - This nonprofit helps provide psychological and psychosocial support to children in Ukraine affected by the consequences of armed conflict.
Organizations Helping Refugees
International Rescue Committee - The refugee organization works to help evacuate regular families out of conflicted areas – including Ukraine. The IRC said this “full-scale war” will result in a humanitarian catastrophe, leading to deaths of innocent people, destruction of infrastructure and massive displacement.
Local Organizations
Voices of Children is a Ukraine-based aid organization that provides psychological support to children who have witnessed war. It uses art therapy and storytelling to support children’s wellbeing, and provides financial support to families who have suffered as a result of war.
Vostok SOS, which is also based in Ukraine, partners with German-Swiss NGO Libereco to provide immediate evacuation support to Ukrainians attempting to flee their homes. Vostok maintains a hotline for Ukrainians in need and, going forward, hopes to provide trauma support to victims of the Russian invasion.
Donations
Charity organizations are offering a wide range of support for those affected by the war. Here are a few that have received high marks (three to four stars) from Charity Navigator, which assesses groups’ efficiency, transparency and other factors.
GlobalGiving supports non-profits around the world through crowdfunding. Its Ukrainian crisis relief fund is working toward a goal of $7m to provide food, water, shelter and other assistance to refugees.
Direct Relief is working to fulfill a list of medical needs provided to the organization by Ukraine’s health ministry.
Care, a 75-year-old organization operating in 100 countries, is working to provide food, water and hygiene kits to those suffering in Ukraine. Donate here as Care seeks to support 4 million people.
Doctors Without Borders, a 50-year-old Nobel-winning organization, has teams in Ukraine as well as surrounding countries as it works to send staff and medical supplies to the hardest-hit areas. Donate here to support its efforts in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world.
Save the Children, a century-old organization that has worked in 100 countries, has a Ukraine crisis relief fund aimed at furnishing children and families with food, hygiene kits, funding and more.
The International Rescue Committee has teams working in Poland aiding displaced families. The organization, founded in 1933, operates in 40 countries and donations go to food, medical treatment, and other emergency care in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere. Donate here to the IRC’s work around the world.
Razom, a Ukrainian-focused charity founded in 2014, is furnishing medical supplies to the country and working to “amplify the voices of Ukrainians”. It has not been evaluated by Charity Navigator but has received wide coverage in the US media. Donate here.
Write to your congressperson
You can use your zip code to find your local US representative here. Click on their image to find their contact information and voice your views on the Russian invasion. You can also contact the White House.
Attend protests or volunteer
Here is a list of forthcoming demonstrations against the invasion, including many in the US.
Support local Ukrainian journalism
You can support the English-language Kyiv Independent and the New Voice of Ukraine directly. There is also a GoFundMe page to support Ukrainian media more broadly as journalists risk their safety.