A Tablet for Katya - Make Art Not War

Update: We've met our target and then some. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated! GoFundMe lets us withdraw funds in installations, and we were able to transfer all donations to date to Katya today. She is so, so relieved. 

 

We built this fundraiser in a hurry with very little planning, and our initial idea was to leave it running for a week, but upon reflection, a week is very short.  We set our target at the bare minimum that would cover the cost of a tablet Katya could buy locally, and we're so glad everyone's generosity could make that possible, but even with tools, it will take time for Katya to get enough work to live on. So we have decided to keep this page running for a month, in the hope that we might be able to raise just a little bit more. The war has already forced them to make hard decisions. A financial buffer will help make hard decisions easier if they are forced to make one again.

 

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Our friend Katya is a digital artist and art teacher whose home is in Kyiv. When Russia invaded Ukraine almost a month ago, Katya and her mom didn’t want to leave their home, but when things got bad they fled Kyiv with only the things they could carry. They left behind their home and all the small comforts they shared, and crucially, they also left behind Katya’s PC (“as it’s a big stationary boy”) and all of the other tools she uses to create art.

 

 

Katya loves Critical Role (Vax'ildan and Vex'alia are her favourites), The Untamed, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the band BTS. She gives even when she has very little to spare, and has actively participated in many ARMY social justice fundraisers and initiatives. Her excellent art, humour, and memes have brought joy both to us and to these communities.

 

Katya's drawing of Jester in Ukrainian costume, posted to her twitter.

 

We’re so grateful that Katya and her mom were able to get out of Kyiv, but her mom’s paycheck was due just a couple of days after Russia invaded, and it never came. Now Katya needs to support them both, but with her students also having evacuated, and without tools or her portfolio, her options are slim. Our GoFundMe goal is the bare minimum required to allow Katya to get a tablet she will be able to keep with her, so that she can support herself and her mom, but we hope that we can raise more. We want this war to end – and soon – but even if it does, things won’t just go back to normal. The aid we can give them doesn’t feel like enough compared to what they are dealing with, but with no idea when they will be able to go home, they need every dollar they can get right now. Exceeding our goal would give Katya more room to purchase the tablet that best meets her needs, and any funds left over would be used to help cover everyday expenses and keep them as safe as possible while they wait out the war.

 

All money raised will be sent to Katya via Western Union. Since GoFundMe doesn't operate in Ukraine, we are unable to link this fundraiser to her directly, so the funds will be transferred with the assistance of one of our team located in the USA (not the organiser, who is actually in Australia).