Help Us Bring Easter to the Children of Ukraine!
Everyone, the fighting hasn't ended and neither have our efforts. Together, we're going to deliver the entire Easter Holiday to ALL of our Ukrainian children currently taking refuge in Dnipro.
Since the invasion started, we've been resolute in our determination to take care of the children who've been forced to flee from the fighting in Ukraine. This last December, thanks in every way to our AMAZING donors, we were AGAIN able to deliver the entire holiday of Christmas to our children taking refuge in Dnipro, Ukraine. You can see the results of that trip via the link and the video below (be sure to read the updates in the fundraiser!)
Or watch a slideshow of our children with their gifts here:
In that trip, we brought candy, toys, and wishes to all 63 of our refugee children AND we had enough funds left over to bring Dnipro's Children's Hospital 7ea UV disinfectant lamps. This Easter, we want to keep this momentum going and bring our children some holiday chocolates and treats to get their Spring season stated on the right foot!
As a lot of you know, we've made multiple trips into Ukraine since the invasion and these children understand that they can count on us. They know we're coming back, and we absolutely do not intend to disappoint.
In addition: Any funds we receive in excess of what is needed to buy our children their Easter treats will go directly to the children's hospital in the area. Exactly ZERO funds from ANY of this go to anyone other than THESE recipients.
So here goes. Our delivery of the entire Easter holiday begins right here. To give us the best chance of success, we’re starting this fundraiser early so be sure to tell all your friends! Sharing is absolutely free, and is the best way to get as many eyes on this as possible (and we’ll need all the help we can get!). Easter lands in early April this year, so we'll keep donations open only until the 22nd of March.
Ok, so why Dnipro?
Dnipro's central location, with regards to the crescent of fighting that surrounds it, makes it a prime location for families to seek refuge. It also makes it a prime target for Russian terror strikes. Many have hit already, some while we were still in the area! To put this into perspective, the below apartment building is walking distance from where our children's hospital supplies are normally delivered:
As if to drive that point home, russian terror strikes hit only days after our Christmas presents were delivered. With electricity and heat being the primary targets, we need every gift we send to bring as much warmth and sunshine to the child receiving it as possible.
How does it all work?
Easter for us lands on the 5th of April this year. We plan on having this fundraiser open for donations from now until Sunday, the 22nd of March. At the closure of the donations, we will use 100% of the collected funds to purchase the following items:
1) Easter chocolates, and gifts for our children in the area
2) Medical supplies, diapers, baby wipes, and anything else the Dnipro Children's Hospital needs.
Nothing collected here will go to anything else. Things like fuel, food, vehicle maintenance, admin expenses... They are our contribution to this drive, and one that we are proud we can make. 100% of what you donate goes to the children of the Dnipro or the Orphanage that you're donating it to.
From there, we load everything we were able to purchase in the back of our Toyota and drive it straight to the door of the people who receive it.
During the collection and after the delivery we will make MANY updates to this GoFundMe so please be sure you check in periodically so you can see the amazing work you are doing. If you'd like to follow along on other social media platforms then you can do so here:
And now we even have a website at Https://DniproExpress.com It's a bit rough yet, but we're learning.
If you would like to read all of our previous trip reports, then you can do so here: https://dniproexpress.com/trip-reports
And I know we have a lot of repeat donors on here and I want you to take a second to reflect back on some of the great success we’ve started these efforts:
Christmas In Dnipro, December 2022: https://gofund.me/eeae7f7a
School Supplies to Dnipro, August 2022: https://gofund.me/1a1f73fb
A few things to note before we go:
1) The dollar amount listed as the "goal" for this campaign is completely arbitrary. We're driving to Dnipro with anything and everything we collect. There is no way we're promising a delivery to those children and then disappointing.
2) We do not sell anything and do not profit from any of the links you see posted here. You can click without fear of spam, sale attempts, or subscription notifications.
3) We do not take pictures of the people receiving aid, as we believe they deserve their dignity and their privacy. All pictures of children that you see (or will see) were sent to us by their respective mothers and were shared with their permission.
4) The location of the Children's hospital in Dnipro will not be given. Western supply lines are targets for the Russian military, and we do not want to put the children at any more risk.
5) We do not take pictures of anything involving the Ukrainian military and do our best to keep things like departure times and route info intentionally vague. This is for their safety.
So raise a glass, because here we go. Here's to the uncrushable spirit of the Ukrainian people. Here's to getting help to some children who deserve so much more.
Here's to helping the people of Ukraine find the peace they deserve.
And always, to any Ukrainians or to anyone reading this from inside Ukraine: The world is with you. Stay strong. We're coming.
Organizer
