Connectivity for the Ukrainian Refugees

Ukrainian refugees are still leaving their country. They are fleeing relentless rocket attacks, the brutality of the Russian occupation, and poverty caused by the economic downturn.

In this third year of the continuing hostilities, most of us are growing weary of the war. We see that the donations are at a fraction of where they were in 2022. Most countries have curtailed their support programs, but the need for help persists. While the assistance can still be found in specific locales, only volunteers can help the refugees on the move.

The funds we collect in the course of this fundraiser will be used to buy refurbished cell phones. These phones will be delivered to Russians For Ukraine (RFU), a volunteer organization with a tremendous track record, operating in Medyka on the Polish-Ukrainian border, continuously since February 26, 2022. The RFU volunteers will distribute the phones to the refugees on the ground.

Many Ukrainians fleeing their country today come from impoverished towns and villages. En route they often lose or drop and break their phones. Some have no means to replace the broken devices: the war has wiped out all of their savings. Others use decade-old push-button phones that lack the crucial functionality. Older phones often cannot connect the refugees to their case workers and volunteers over modern messenger apps. Without this connection, the volunteers cannot guide the refugees to their destination, provide real-time support, arrange shelter, or deliver electronic tickets for transportation.

Your contribution will make a disproportionately high impact. A modern refurbished phone that costs as low as $80 will serve as a lifeline for a displaced Ukrainian family. It is hard to overstate the difference between staying in contact with a case worker or a volunteer while in transit, and navigating on your own in a strange place and under tremendous stress.

For information on RFU, please visit rfu2022.org