Aid Ukrainian Families

My name is Nadiya; I am one of the many Ukrainian immigrants in the US who are feeling helpless and beside myself about the unprovoked and inhumane war that Putin and Russia have instigated on Thursday in Ukraine.

I will keep this short for now, with updates to come, but I need to do something that is productive in an immediate and measurable way to help my family that is going through the most challenging time of their life. Their full story is not mine to share, but I will add updates with their permission, as mentioned.

Pictured above are my cousin (Natalia) and her husband (Andrew). The last few days have been some of the hardest in their life; however, they are some of the luckier ones. Natalia packed up her baby girl (Diana) while her husband rushed to secure a 2nd car. They packed the vehicles with as many women and children as they could (other family and friends in need) and set off on what would be a 24+ hour trip to cover the under 100 miles to the Romanian border. Her father accompanied them as far as he could but knew that he would have to say goodbye and turn around as most men under the age of 60 are not allowed to leave the country.

The story is not without hope. On Sunday afternoon (2/27/2022) they (5 women, one husband and 5 children) crossed over the border where they were met by Lucian, a Romanian stranger I found via Airbnb, who, along with many other Romanians, have been helping Ukrainian refugees by all possible means. They provide free shelter, food and transportation to other destinations as needed.

Many have reached out to me, and I am grateful for their support and prayers. I now ask that you help by any means possible. My family (the ones that were able to leave and the ones that remain in Ukraine), will all be in need of countless things in the days, weeks, and months to come. I don't have a clear idea of what the next few weeks or even days will look like, but I am certain that there will be countless expenses that range from basic necessities and medicine to fees for documents, further travel, rent, etc.

DISCLAIMER: GoFundMe.com donations are considered a personal gift; therefore, it is not a tax-deductible donation.

For those looking to make charitable donations to Support Ukraine, below are a few ways, but there are numerous other options; please be careful and research to make sure you are donating to a credible source!

Links to other means of supporting

USA for UNHCR help Ukrainian Refugees

Gofundme org - Ukraine Humanitarian Fund Gofundme.org

Save The Children

Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund

Ukrainian National Bank send money directly (credit cards now accepted) to the Ukrainian Armed Forces

SunRai Village-the FB page for the Local business that helped my family, no easy direct way to donate from the USA, but use the Translation feature in FB to read about one example of the fantastic things neighboring countries are doing!