Help for Ukraine: 20+ charities on the frontlines

As Russian troops continue to attack Ukraine from almost every side and the rest of the world watches, wondering what they can do, many charities you know are rising to the occasion.

Key cities in Ukraine are surrounded by Russian troops, and most Ukrainian men remain to defend their country even as their loved ones are forced to flee. The UN refugee agency estimates that more than 2 million Ukrainians have fled the violence, seeking refuge in Romania, Poland, and other neighboring countries. In many cases, these are women and children with no more than one suitcase. One ministry reported they were receiving refugees still in their pajamas, having traveled from one side of Ukraine to the other to escape late-night bombings.

Meanwhile, charities around the world are rallying, running toward the crisis to bring God’s love and care to victims of this war. They’re facilitating rescues and feeding, housing, and transporting refugees. They are caring for wounded soldiers and seeking out the most vulnerable to make sure they are not forgotten. Others are sharing God’s Word as comfort; providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; offering medical assistance; traveling alongside refugees until they reach safety.

We’ve compiled this list of U.S.-based charities (as well as one international fund) that are working on the frontlines in Ukraine and surrounding countries. All of the charities on the list below are already approved to receive grants through the National Christian Foundation (NCF) right away. If you already have a Giving Fund at NCF, log in today to recommend a grant. If you don’t have a Giving Fund, you can open one in just minutes.

• We encourage you to do your own research of these charities. Included on the list are some large, international charities that would likely know exactly what to do with a large–size gift. But the list also includes smaller, local charities which might have a smaller goal that your grant can help them meet.
• We also advise that you designate that your grant is for Ukraine. Some of these organizations are working in places all over the world.

This is a developing story. Additional charities are being added as we receive information.

Aerial Recovery Group

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Aerial Recovery is an organization comprised of primarily former U.S. Military Special Operators who now use their unique skill set to assist people and places after natural and man-made disasters. Their specialized team of veterans and experts are conducting high-risk extractions of orphans and the most vulnerable who are in imminent danger from the Russian invasion and subsequent fighting. They are also setting up a safe haven in Lviv, which provides a secure place for these orphans to go inside of Ukrainian borders and under Ukrainian supervision. They are also serving as a food and supply distribution point for their partners, Global Empowerment Mission, to get their millions of aid to those who need it the most.

American Bible Society

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American Bible Society (ABS) has helped people experience God through the Bible since 1816. In the wake of WWII, they helped highlight the need for Scriptures for Ukrainian refugees and have been working alongside partners to share hope in the region ever since. For the last decade, they have specifically focused on expanding Bible-based trauma healing work in Ukraine and work to encourage displaced families, inhabitants of areas close to the frontlines, families who have lost loved ones, and those in search of truth and comfort during the ongoing conflict.

Now, the team in Ukraine has urged that they need more Bibles. ABS is responding by working through their partners on the ground and local church leaders across confessions to share tens of thousands of Bibles and Bible-based, trauma-healing materials to bring peace and hope to those who are suffering.

AmeriCares

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Americares has a long history of providing support to refugees and migrants, including supporting health services for families fleeing the humanitarian crises in Syria and Venezuela. On March 2, they sent an emergency response team to Poland to support health services for families affected by the escalating humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. In Krakow, the team of experts will coordinate large-scale shipments of medicine and relief supplies and mobilize emergency medical teams. In addition, three tons of critical medicine and medical supplies are already on the way to an organization working inside Ukraine, for hospitals and responders there.

Awana Ukraine

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For nearly 30 years, Awana Ukraine has been reaching 25,307 children weekly through its gospel and discipleship programming. Eleven staff families serve 548 clubs (church partners) across Ukraine. In response to the crisis, they have shifted to assist church partners in providing basic supplies like food, water, clothing, shelter, and funds both for those sheltering in place and those who have been displaced in Ukraine. They are also providing funding to their clubs in northern Romania to help with the growing need for humanitarian aid to incoming refugees. (Be sure to specify that your grant is for Ukraine.)

Convoy of Hope

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Convoy of Hope is a faith-based, non-profit organization that works with local churches, businesses, civic organizations, and government agencies to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response. Using air freight, boats, cargo vans, and other means of transportation, they are providing for basic needs and emergency relief to survivors in eight different countries throughout Europe.

Convoy is also facilitating shelter for Ukrainians in need of a safe place to stay. Supplies like sleeping mats, bedding, blankets, and tents meet immediate needs, while partners in countries like Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine make it possible for those fleeing the war to stay in churches and other facilities turned into shelters. Convoy of Hope also provides resources for transportation from border crossings to safe locations.

Hope International

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HOPE International fights poverty by investing in families in the world’s underserved communities, providing loans, savings services, training, and discipleship. Ukraine is the first country where HOPE first served in 1997. Before the Russian invasion, HOPE operated 13 offices across Ukraine, providing loans for small businesses, educational expenses, housing improvement, and agriculture.

Since the attacks began, they have focused most of their attention on locating and supporting 47 staff members and the Ukranian entrepreneurs they serve, as well as easing the burden for those whose businesses are massively disrupted by conflict. When the conflict ends, their work will shift to helping client entrepreneurs rebuild their businesses and communities.

International Rescue Committee

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The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has nearly 90 years of disaster response expertise, including seven years helping refugees in Europe. They provide emergency aid, health and sanitation, and psychosocial support to refugees and migrants, ultimately integrating them into the fabric of host communities. Their trained staff is on the ground in Poland, working with local partners to help fleeing families. Authorities there are preparing potentially to welcome one million people displaced from Ukraine. They are also working with local partners and civil society organizations in Ukraine to quickly mobilize emergency support for families, such as economic assistance, survival supplies, and protection services.

Last Bell Ministries

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Last Bell Ministries has been serving orphans and orphanage graduates in Zhytomyr, Ukraine since 2006. Ukrainian staff members mentor, counsel, apprentice, and disciple these young adults, living out a mission of loving and restoring orphanage graduates towards life and community. Grants will provide aid for staff and 500 youth in the form of gasoline, diapers, water, lanterns, medication, food, and hygiene supplies.

Lifeline Children’s Services

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Lifeline partners with local churches to share the gospel through care for vulnerable children and families. In Ukraine, they are now also working with those displaced by war. They are providing humanitarian assistance in the form of refugee housing in Romania as well as a refugee transitional and long-term center. And along the Ukraine/Moldovan border they are working to provide 285,000 meals.

Lifesong for Orphans

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Lifesong for Orphans has been serving the vulnerable for 20 years. Beyond helping children, their goal is to preserve families and prevent more children from becoming orphaned. They are working currently to evacuate people from Kharkiv and Chernigov to western Ukraine. They are also providing displaced people in Kharkiv with shelter, food, and other resources while organizing to move staff into a neighboring country in order to assist refugees.

Medical Teams International

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Founded in 1979, Medical Teams International (MTI) is a global health and humanitarian organization dedicated to providing life-saving medical care to people in crisis due to conflict or natural disasters. They provide care in frontline clinics, refugee camps, and remote villages. They hire local medical professionals and train volunteer community health workers. Funds raised will allow MTI to coordinate with multiple partners to ship crucial supplies to Ukrainians in need. An MTI assessment team is being deployed to Poland to assess the humanitarian and health needs of the displaced Ukrainians and will be followed by a second team to provide direct assistance.

Mercy Chefs

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Mercy Chefs is a faith-based, nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian organization. Since 2006, it has served 18.5 million professionally prepared meals for victims, volunteers, and first responders in natural disasters and national emergencies. A team was deployed to Romania this week to arrange, set up, and provide emergency relief to refugees from Ukraine and the surrounding countries. They are providing meals and needed necessities and are transporting these items into Ukraine. They are also mobilizing to assemble emergency relief food packets and assessing long-term opportunities for continued relief by establishing a food kitchen. Funds given will be used to fund storage space, mobile kitchens, and trucks.

Mercy Corps

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Mercy Corps is mobilizing a team to the region to assess where help is most needed. They anticipate providing emergency cash assistance as well as supporting local organizations that know their community needs best. Mercy Corps provided humanitarian assistance in Ukraine following the 2014 conflict, helping more than 200,000 people with emergency cash, food, water, and sanitation supplies.

Mission Eurasia

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Through their “I Care” program, Mission Eurasia ministry leaders, volunteers, and partners are bringing relief aid. Their immediate goals include providing 10,000 emergency food packages to vulnerable refugee families from Ukraine. Each food package costs $50 and contains enough food to sustain a family of four or five for a week. A Bible or other copy of Scripture will also be included in each food package to provide spiritual comfort and hope for these suffering families. Funds are also urgently needed to provide shelter, medical expenses, and counseling for thousands of Ukrainian refugee families fleeing from the war.

Mission to the World

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Mission to the World sends more than 650 full-time Christian workers to 105 countries all over the world to help establish, grow, and mature the church. They’ve been planting churches in Ukraine since 1995. Today, MTW missionaries, Ukrainian pastors, and members of 15 partner churches of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine are caring for refugees moving toward the Ukrainian border and into Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. They are working alongside partner churches to provide food, housing, clothing, transportation, and other essentials to Ukrainians in need. Updates are posted regularly on mtw.org.

Mission to Ukraine

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Mission to Ukraine has been working in Zhytomyr, Ukraine for 25 years. They serve 900 women facing crisis pregnancies and 600 children with disabilities each year, meeting needs and sharing the gospel. Due to the crisis in Ukraine, they are experiencing an increase in needs and additional ministry opportunities. Grants received will fund help for Ukrainian clients with food, medicine, diapers, heating oil, and emergency refugee resettlement and housing. What will help temporarily may very well also impact for eternity.

Novo

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With 600 full-time personnel in more than 100 nations globally, Novo works to multiply movements of the gospel and mobilize the church for mission. They’ve been working in Ukraine for more than 20 years.

Since the Russian invasion, they are providing food, shelter, and basic physical needs for those fleeing the fighting internally (internally displaced refugees). While the city where the team lives and works (in the center of the country) is not presently under direct attack, they are receiving and accommodating a steady stream of refugees. In addition to meeting basic physical needs, the team is addressing the psychological and spiritual trauma that this type of war has generated with Novo’s specialized team in Malaga, Spain – counselors and trauma specialists who are doing all they can to serve those on the ground in Ukraine.

OneHope

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For more than 30 years, OneHope has worked with local churches in Ukraine to reach the next generation with God’s Word. In response to the current crisis, OneHope has broadened its support to local church networks by providing for the physical needs of vulnerable children, both within Ukraine and those living as refugees in bordering countries. They are funding five major church networks, providing funds for food, shelter, clothing, and transportation, as well as digital and print evangelism materials that can be used to share hope in these challenging times. Funds received are being used to help churches meet daily, physical needs of vulnerable children and their families in Ukraine, Poland and Moldova.

Project C.U.R.E.

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Project C.U.R.E. is the world’s largest distributor of donated medical supplies, equipment, and services to doctors and nurses serving the sick and dying in more than 135 countries. They have been working throughout the country of Ukraine since 2000 and are now providing humanitarian support to hospitals and partners there, as well as standing by to send needed medical equipment. This week, they shipped 20,000 pounds of medical aid, including trauma supplies, airway kits, sutures, gloves, surgical gowns, and surgical supplies.Their work extends into Moldova, Romania, and Poland to support other organizations serving refugees there.

Razom for Ukraine

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Razom (which means “together” in Ukrainian) is a charity made up of Ukranian/American professionals who launch projects to support Ukraine and amplify the voice of Ukraine for an American audience. Their current emergency-response project focuses on purchasing medical supplies for critical situations like blood loss and other tactical medicine items. Their extensive procurement team of volunteers works with partners to track down and purchase supplies, and their logistics team gets them to Ukraine. They are also working with governments and embassies to create humanitarian corridors for the safe transit of aid.

Revived Soldiers Ukraine

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Revived Soldiers Ukraine is a well-established 501(c)(3) U.S. charity that has been providing medical and humanitarian help to Ukraine for many years. We are now working around the clock to deliver medical equipment and supplies, arrange humanitarian aid, and provide medical treatment to injured Ukrainians.

Samaritan’s Purse

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In response to a request from the Ukrainian government, deployment of Samaritan’s Purse’s Emergency Field Hospital began Friday, March 4. The hospital is equipped with 30 beds, an operating room, an ICU, an emergency room, a pharmacy, its own water and sanitation, set up personnel, as well as doctors and nurses. As many as 100 patients a day can be seen at this hospital, and it will be operated by approximately 57 staff. It includes operating rooms and an ICU.

On March 10, they flew a 747 packed with more than 100 tons of relief materials, including medical supplies, to Poland. This is their third major airlift in response to the Ukraine crisis. Also onboard are hygiene kits, winter coats, blankets, and other items to help those who are fleeing the escalating conflict.

On the same day, in response to dire needs at a train station in Lviv, they began operating a medical stabilization point. Tens of thousands are passing through the gates each day, many with pressing medical issues. Medical personnel at the site, including doctors, nurses, and a pharmaceuticals team, are providing primary healthcare services for these internally displaced people as they transit through Lviv in search of safety.

Save the Children

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Save the Children is concerned for children caught in the middle of armed conflict, forced from their homes in freezing temperatures, and exposed to injury, hunger, and cold. They are working to provide help to children and families with food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support, and cash assistance.

Send Relief

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Send Relief, a collaboration between the International Mission Board (IMB) and the North American Mission Board (NAMB), is the Southern Baptist compassion ministry. They are working with local Baptist churches and partners in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary and several other neighboring countries to minister to Ukrainian families displaced by the war. They are proving food, shelter, transportation, hygiene kits and more to the most vulnerable.

Serving Orphans Worldwide

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Serving Orphans Worldwide (SOW) works with Christian children’s homes and orphan care projects in 32 countries. SOW comes alongside these homes to provide monthly operational support, invest in sustainability ventures and capital needs, and grant scholarships for many of the children when they age out of care.

SOW currently supports five partner homes in Ukraine, three of which have had to evacuate the staff and children. The organization has created a special Ukraine Crisis Fund to provide immediate and tangible relief efforts to its partners in the field and the children they serve. Their team has been working hard to build a coalition on the ground in Ukraine, Poland, and Germany to move supplies, evacuate women and children, and ensure funds are received directly by our Ukrainian partners on the ground. The homes in Mariupol and Slavyansk have been damaged by shelling since this fighting began. The recovery efforts will require significant resources in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

Sports Catalyst

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Sports Catalyst is a global sports ministry, training athletes to become leaders in their communities. Since the attack on February 24, these athletes have done exactly what they were learning to do. Their discipleship network has converted into 119 help centers inside Ukraine and 17 more in four surrounding countries. They are providing 12,000 people with food and remodeling gyms, sports camps, homes, and churches to house women and children while husbands and fathers are fighting battles. They are sending psychologists and teachers to work with children where these families are living temporarily and shuttles to the border for those wishing to escape as refugees. They estimate in need of U.S. $5 million to sustain them for the next 90 days.

TrustBridge Global Foundation

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TrustBridge Global manages international granting for many NCF givers and others. Their Ukraine Rapid Response Fund is an opportunity to give into a pool that will be administered by a panel of experts with connections and experience in funding charities and programs in the region. At this early stage, the programs that will be funded are not known; but as the panel makes decisions, the details will be communicated. TrustBridge will endeavor to get the initial donations flowing to those in need as quickly as possible.

If you already have a Giving Fund at NCF, you can move money to the Ukraine Rapid Response Fund by requesting a fund-to-fund transfer. Use the Fund name “UKRAINE RAPID RESPONSE FUND” and Fund #4106335.

Water Mission

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The escalating conflict in Ukraine has triggered an exodus of people seeking refuge elsewhere in the region. Water Mission is establishing relief efforts to provide for the safe water, sanitation, and hygiene needs of people who are displaced by this crisis.

Wide Awake International

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Founded in 2013, Wide Awake International is a nonprofit organization based in Oregon and Zhytomyr, Ukraine with a vision to deinstitutionalize Eastern Europe’s most marginalized people. They believe in the dignity of every human being and seek to bring hope, dignity, love, and improved quality of life to orphans with special needs in Ukraine. They realize this vision through creating family care homes where people with and without disabilities live together in community. They provide therapeutic and spiritual intervention to help each person reach their full potential.

As the war began, they brought their marginalized friends and their single mothers into their family care homes to provide support and meet basic needs. They are also visiting those who have chosen to stay in their homes and apartments, bringing food and supplies and providing transportation. Their team of therapeutic specialists are providing ongoing care. Support is being raised to care for staff, along with providing shelter for people with disabilities and their families. They are also continuing to provide humanitarian aid and therapeutic support for people with disabilities who still remain inside of institutions.

World Hope International

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Since 1996, World Hope International (WHI) strives to be the reflection of Jesus Christ’s compassion to those who suffer. WHI is working with global and local partners in response to the invasion of Ukraine and the outflow of refugees into neighboring countries. As the local and global response to the invasion evolves, their response is likely to continue to evolve to ensure that basic needs – such as water, food, protection services, and more – are being met and that those who have fled, as well as those who have stayed behind so far, have access to hope and help.

World Relief

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World Relief is working with partners and churches in the region to provide food, shelter, and supplies to those in the most vulnerable situations. As circumstances are changing rapidly, they will be there to adapt to needs as they arise. World Relief is also preparing to resettle Ukrainian refugees and is working to provide assistance to those already in the United States who are desperately searching for families. World Relief invites everyone to pray between the hours of 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, as bombing and shelling has been harder during these hours when Ukrainians are trying to sleep.

World Vision

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World Vision is supporting refugees in Romania. They will distribute essential aid to 67,000 people and provide psychosocial and educational support to children and families. They are also working to help refugees find appropriate accommodations and basic services, as well as developing options for working with partners in Moldova and Ukraine. Knowing that the impact of this crisis, from both a humanitarian and economic perspective, is likely to have a significant ripple effect, they are also increasing support to their offices in Georgia and Armenia.

In Ukraine, World Vision has delivered two van loads of food and hospital supplies to a 600-bed hospital which had issued an urgent plea for help to officials in its sister town in Siret, Romania. Delivery included hospital supplies such as mattresses, pillows, sheets, towels, soap and disinfectant, as well as food items for hungry children and families.

Photo courtesy of Mission Eurasia