Many organisations are figuring out how to best support Ukrainians and the BBC has produced a guide. Financial and political support could not be more critical.

• Give money in the UK: Major UK organisations have launched campaigns, including UNICEF UK, the British Red Cross, Save the Children, and the Embassy of Ukraine in the UK.
• Support grassroots action: The Ukrainian Institute London has a list of organisations to support. This twitter thread focuses on LGBTQ+ and youth feminist organisations. Further fundraising appeals supporting refugees, disabled people and animal shelters have also been shared on linktree.
• Campaign: Governments have responded forcefully, but there’s more to do. 50 civil society leaders wrote a letter in The Times calling on the UK government to do more. Freedom from Torture has posted a thread on how to support Ukrainian refugees, and launched a petition. Protests in the capital are being organised by London Euromaidan and the Ukraine embassy to keep up the visible pressure and show solidarity. If you’re taking action, tweet us at @NCVO, so we can amplify your work. Over 100 Ukrainian civil society leaders have launched the Kyiv Declaration – find out more about their demands and how you can support them.

Some of the options listed here are not organisations that we can verify. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider them – they’re likely to be grassroots, on the ground, and able to put money immediately to use.

Whatever action you take, do it now. The situation could change very quickly and our future ability to get support to those inside Ukraine could become constrained.

> Read more at NCVO’s website here

With such distressing scenes on our screens every day, many of us may well be feeling helpless and heartbroken at the stories of people caught up in the conflict in Ukraine. But we are not helpless.

The Living Wage Foundation’s parent charity Citizens UK is a leading player in the  community sponsorship scheme which allows community groups to support the resettlement of vulnerable people fleeing conflict and take the lead in welcoming them to live in their communities.

The UK Government has just radically increased the scale and scope of refugee sponsorship in response to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine to allow employers to play a formal part in these resettlement programmes including becoming refugee sponsors for the first time.  The UK Government will be announcing further details soon, but we know that the scheme is uncapped, that those who come under this scheme will be granted leave for an initial period of 12 months, and they will be able to work and access public services.

Citizens UK is working with the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI) to organise a briefing in the week of March 21st for  interested Living Wage employers and civil society and community experts to come together to explore how we can welcome and support those affected by this crisis.

If this is of interest to your organisation, we would love to hear from you – please share your contact via our online form and we’ll be in touch with details of the GRSI briefing event

In the meantime, if you or colleagues would like to support CUK’s appeal, you can donate here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-ukrainian-refugees

Living Wage employers have led the way in providing for families and now there is a chance to support those fleeing conflict.

This bespoke Government-backed scheme will offer a route to those who want to come to the UK who have someone here willing to provide them with a home. It will enable individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to volunteer accommodation and provide a route to safety for those forced to escape their homeland.

Find out more about Homes for Ukraine here.

Youth work is universal, no matter where in the world, or the circumstances, youth work is transformational. Ukraine is a sovereign free-spirited nation fighting for democracy and the rights of its citizens.

Our CEO has spoken to the National Ukrainian Youth Association – NUMO about the situation and the NYA is seeking to support young people and youth work at home and in Ukraine.

We have created a space for young people, youth workers and those that commission, fund or lead youth work to share your support and solidarity for Ukraine. You can post messages of support to be added to a Messages of Support for Ukraine gallery. We have also created a specific area on our website with guides, toolkits and signposts for youth workers and those working with young people in England to help you navigate conversations with young people about the crisis in Ukraine and conflict.

> Visit the NYA website for more