Help Dianna support Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl

My name is Dianna Murphy. I am raising funds to support the MAD foundation, a UK-based humanitarian organization that I’ll be volunteering for in Przemyśl, Poland. MAD’s Operation Safedrop provides safe and free "last mile" transportation for Ukrainian women and children who were forced to make the arduous journey across the border, and to help provide for refugees’ immediate needs upon their arrival.

When the foundation’s co-director (a UW-Madison alum), put out an urgent call for Russian speakers to assist on the ground in Poland, I decided to travel to Przemyśl to volunteer as an interpreter in June 2022. As an Operation Safedrop volunteer, I have been asked to crowdsource financial support to help sustain this critical undertaking.

This crisis is among the most devastating we have seen in our lifetime. The people of Ukraine need us to be on the right side of history. Thank you for being a force for good in supporting those who need the world’s help right now. For more information, and a link to the organization that will benefit from this fundraiser, see the FAQs below. I am deeply grateful for your trust and your support.

Where can I get more details on MAD, is it a trustworthy organization? You can learn more about MAD on their website: https://www.madfoundation.com/ . MAD is a grassroots UK-based organization co-directed by UW-Madison alum Kari Anderson. Kari was a former UW-Madison Russian language student of my friend and colleague Shannon Donnally Quinn, now at MSU.

What exactly will you do with the money? After covering basic logistical and travel costs, all funds raised through this campaign will go directly to MAD.

What else can I do to help? The Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has compiled a list of charitable organizations providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine, as well as informational resources to learn about the ongoing war: https://creeca.wisc.edu/14982-2/

Thank you to fellow MAD/Przemysl volunteer Naomi Olson for allowing me to borrow liberally from her gofundme in making this request. I am profoundly uncomfortable in asking for financial support, but want to do what I can to support the efforts of MAD to provide safe and secure support for the women and children fleeing this senseless war.