Presents wrapped, cards written, items posted, pennies counted – One thing my Mum and Dad have both taught me is that giving is not about the joy of getting things back to you but its more about the pleasure in doing something for others.
My Mum is the present giver and my Dad is the charity donator. So after sorting out my Christmas cards and presents I turned to looking at renewing or donating afresh to a new charity or two for 2023.
Over the last 13 months I have been giving a small monthly payment to International Rescue Committee who are basically the good guys that go in and provide support on the ground or to people fleeing war zones and area of crisis across the world. It makes me feel like I can contribute to something and help people out in the world with a small donation that they then choose where the money goes to and to people in most need.
I also became a member of a charity called Moor Trees back in 2020, they advocate for and actively re-establish the planting of woodlands on and around Devon and Dartmoor. I really am impressed by the hard work that this charity does and the results they have achieved I worked as a trustee with them in the past and really am inspired by what they do.
I also nearly forgot – I am also a member of the Green Party of England and Wales and they are doing really well in Exeter which is great news too.
With regard to the International Rescue Committee my payment card that I used to pay them has just expired and I don’t know whether to renew my donation to them or change it and become a member of a charity that concentrates more on issue concerning climate change and the environment. If I were to change charities I would want to give to an organisation that is having a positive impact on tackling climate change and protecting the environment and not perhaps just worrying about it.
I am going to try and do a little more research on who is best to donate to prior to making a decision. Below are a list of the few I am considering contributing to.
I have today discovered a charity called Green Alliance they are also on WordPress so have signed up to follow them they are an independent think tank and charity focused on leadership for the environment. Since 1979, they have been working with the most influential leaders in business, NGOs and politics to accelerate political action and create transformative policy for a green and prosperous UK.
There is another organisation called the Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. Who are building an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.
Finally I have also just found an organisation called Cool Earth on its website it says Cool Earth exists because right now, the world is in a climate crisis.
The most effective way to fight back is to protect the best carbon-storing technology that already exists: rainforest.
And the best way to do that? Back, support, and listen to the people living there.
Indigenous peoples and local communities have lived in balance with rainforest for thousands of years and are the real rainforest experts.
They are people who face extreme injustice whilst living on the front line of the climate crisis.
We champion the relationship between people, rainforest and climate.
Cool Earth exists to give cash direct to rainforest communities, to fund projects that create choice, tackle the root causes of deforestation and protect vital carbon sinks.
Their mission is to back people, to protect the rainforest and fight the climate crisis.
I think I will probably sign up to donate to Cool Earth and probably renew my donation to International Rescue Committee.
Editor’s note: The situation in Ukraine is actively evolving, as are the needs of citizens in the country and neighboring regions. We will be keeping this list up to date with the evolving ways Global Citizens can help in the coming days and weeks.
The world was brought to a standstill as news broke on Feb. 24 that Russia had invaded Ukraine. Global Citizen released a statement condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine and calling for all military action to cease immediately, as well as for humanitarian aid to be supported as the conflict unfolds.
Global Citizen has pulled together a list of things you can do to support the people of Ukraine wherever you are.
Tweet Now:
Solidarity With the People of Ukraine!
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Who Is the Most Impacted?
A woman and child peer out of the window of a bus as they leave Sievierodonetsk, the Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022. Image: Vadim Ghirda/AP
According to UN data, in 2021 the crisis in Ukraine affected 1.5 million people — half a million of whom are children and minors. As with any crisis, women, children, and the poor will be those most affected. Ukrainian parents are already taking heartbreaking measures to protect their children including sending them into school wearing stickers identifying their blood types in case of bombings.
In the current crisis, Black people — especially migrants — are reporting experiencing racism at the border while trying to leave the country. Footage has gone viral of people being blocked from boarding trains and there have been worrying reports that police are prioritizing white Ukranians over Black people crossing the border.
While many of us might feel helpless when confronted with geopolitical machinations of this scale, we’ve rounded up some ways you can help the people of Ukraine right now.
DONATE
Organizations on the ground and globally are actively supporting people within Ukraine and refugees seeking safety elsewhere with medical and humanitarian aid.
These organizations include:
1. People in Need is providing humanitarian aid to over 200,000 people on the ground. For those most in need, they provide food packages, emergency shelter, safe access to drinking water, hygiene items, and coal for heating. Donate here.
2. The Ukrainian Red Cross does loads of humanitarian work, from aiding refugees to training doctors. Donate here.
3. The International Medical Corps is on the front lines and prepared to help citizens with emergency health care services, as well as mental health and psychosocial support. The agency is also keeping the pandemic top of mind throughout the crisis by prioritizing COVID-19 awareness and prevention services, to help keep displaced citizens safe from the pandemic. Donate here.
4. CARE International is responding to the crisis by providing Ukrainians in need with food, hygiene kits, psychosocial support services, access to water, and access to cash. Donate here.
5. Nova Ukraine is a nonprofit that delivers aid packages to Ukraine with everything from baby food and hygiene products, to clothes and household supplies. Donate here.
6. UNICEF Ukraine is repairing schools damaged by the bombings and providing an emergency response to children affected by the conflict. Donate here.
7. UNHRC has stepped up its operations and is working with governments in neighboring countries “calling on them to keep borders open to those seeking safety and protection.” You can help support refugees by donating here.
8. Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Europe has created a resource to help support those trying to leave Ukraine, complete with a “survival list,” Telegram groups to join, places to donate for those wanting to help from overseas, and social accounts to follow for the latest information. You can learn more about their work and donate here.
9. OutRight Action is stepping up to make sure that they are not left behind and that they are protected in this time of crisis. The organization will be helping to support LGBTQ+ groups and organizations on the ground who are setting up shelters and providing safety for citizens. All donations made to OutRight will go directly to the cause. You can donate here.
STAY INFORMED
A woman reacts as she waits for a train trying to leave Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022. Image: Emilio Morenatti/AP
One of the best ways to help the most vulnerable in Ukraine is by staying on top of what is happening on the ground, and learning more about how citizens are being affected by the conflict. We’ve rounded up a few trustworthy sources you can refer to:
10. The Kyiv Independent has been a leading voice on the front lines, covering a timeline of ongoing events since the beginning and highlighting those who have been most affected by the violent attack. The English-language outlet is continuously reporting on how the invasion and conflict are impacting citizens, the economy, as well as Ukrainian foreign politics. Keep up to date on its website here, or on the Twitter page here.
11. The New Voice of Ukraine: Covering news in three different languages — English, Ukrainian, and Russian — the New Voice of Ukraine has not only covered breaking news, but has released informative analyses on the situation that detail how the situation led to this point, and is continuously publishing op-eds by Ukranian scholars and experts that help to give a view of tone of the situation. Read more on its website here.
12. Ukraine World: While Ukraine World is not posting breaking news and timeline updates on its website, it is very active on its social media accounts. Its independent journalists on the front lines have gathered first-hand footage, and it is using its account to share other informative sources that its followers can refer to in order to keep up to date. Follow Ukraine World here.
13. Kyiv Post is the only non-independent media outlet on this list, and it is important that those following state-funded outlets are aware that they are affiliated with the state.The outlet has been at the forefront of delivering breaking news directly from government and national offices, releasing statements from ministry officials, military leads, and other dignitaries. You can read more on its website here, or follow it on Twitter here.
14. CNN Reporter Dale Dan compiled a Twitter list of verified journalists reporting the best information about the invasion, which you can follow here.
15. Olga Tokariuk is a verified independent correspondent working in Kyiv, sending frequent tweets on the latest information while also capturing the humanity of living in Kyiv. Follow her here.
16. Global Leaders are all tweeting their updates and responses to the situation as well. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba are active on Twitter in English, giving regular updates. US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are tweeting about the US and international response to the invasion. And UN Secretary General António Guterres and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are giving updates.
Demonstrators march with a banner that reads: “Ukraine – Peace, Russia – Freedom”, in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 24, 2022. Hundreds of people gathered in the center of Moscow on Thursday, protesting against Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Image: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
TAKE ACTION
19. Join a Peace Protest
If you’re following and keeping up to date with the ongoing situation on the ground, but you’re still wanting to do more and/or you don’t have the financial means to donate, consider joining demonstrators around the world — from London to Tokyo — who have taken to the streets to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Find your nearest demonstration here.
20. Take Action With Global Citizen
You can join Global Citizen in taking action to show solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, by sending our tweet highlighting that we must #StandWithUkraine and choose peace not war.
There are huge holes in lots of charities budgets at the moment both locally, nationally and internationally. I have been trying to help charities that I want to support and have discovered these hopefully useful tips and income streams for charities to use.
You might think that while a lot of shopping is going online that your charity or community building is missing a trick. Well there are many ways and means that your charity can also raise funds on the world wide web. It might be an idea to try and get some help from some more IT literate members of your community that might be able and willing to show you the digital ropes on how to use some of the applications mentioned below.
1) Online events such as a presentations, talks, a local musician and/or band could all possibly be used as online ticketed events to raise money for your charity/community building.
Tickets could be sold online through an account on ticket sales platforms such as Eventbrite (there will be a small charge for ticket events that you charge attendance for).
Once you have sold your tickets you could then invite them to attend through a platform called Zoom where, so long as the person that has bought a ticket has an ok internet connection, they should not have problem joining and enjoying the event.
2) Charities can sell items on the online auction site called eBay and receive payments for transactions through PayPal (including gift aid for those eligible to opt in). On eBay you could sell items by auction or even set up your own digital charity shop to sell items.
Make sure you sell items that can either easily be posted out to winning bidders such as DVDs, CDs or books. Or you might want to sell more difficult to post items locally and advertise items as local collection only. You could make an event of it locally for your charity if you have some special items that would mean a lot to people in your local community, such as locally produced art, craft or local produce or gift vouchers donated to your charity. You could advertise with social media posts or emails or in your local parish magazine about the upcoming auction, when it will be and what will be for sale, so that people in your community can know what to bid on and when and where.
Also, where payment goes through PayPal, buyers can opt into gift aid, so you can increase your income by a further amount that you would be entitled to. If you want to find out more about charities and raising funds on eBay or payments though PayPal just contact eBay or PayPal directly and they will be happy to answer your questions.
3) Finally for all you budding Amazon Parcel purchasers did you know that you can donate to your own charity by setting up an Amazon Smile account. Again, go directly to Amazon and ask them how to set up an Amazon Smile fundraising account for charities. Then ask your supporters to register with Amazon Smile and away you go. Amazon will donate a small percentage of all future purchases to the charity at no cost to the buyer.
A woman and child peer out of the window of a bus as they leave Sievierodonetsk, the Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.
A woman reacts as she waits for a train trying to leave Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.
Demonstrators march with a banner that reads: “Ukraine – Peace, Russia – Freedom”, in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 24, 2022. Hundreds of people gathered in the center of Moscow on Thursday, protesting against Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
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