Youth Host Fundraisers to Help Children Affected by War in Ukraine
As UNICEF continues to scale up emergency operations in Ukraine and in neighboring countries, children and young people across the US are stepping up to support by hosting fundraisers and awareness-raising events in their communities. Their goal: to raise funds to help save and protect children and their families caught in the war.
2nd Graders make homemade bracelets and raise over 15k for children of Ukraine
It makes me sad to hear that some kids have to leave their homes and that their country is being destroyed. - Maddie, 2nd Grader and member of the Giving Girls
A group of 2nd graders in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, are putting their artistic talents to good use and are making "Peace" bracelets in an effort to raise money for the children of Ukraine. As they call themselves, the Giving Girls have crafted over 400 bracelets and initially set a goal of raising $150 for UNICEF. They have now raised over $16,695.
High Schoolers raise awareness for children who no longer have access to education
Our school has been incredibly interactive with this fundraiser, and everyone is truly exhibiting an amazing amount of support. We all want to aid Ukraine... and we are so thankful for the way our community has come together. - Olivia, LCHS UNICEF Club President
The Loudon County High School UNICEF Club, in Leesburg Virginia, recently hosted their Stand With Ukraine fundraiser, in collaboration with other student clubs on campus. They sold ribbons and slips of paper during their lunch break, where their classmates could write messages of hope. They then turned these messages into one giant paper chain that now hangs over the entrance over the library. Every student, teacher and staff member who walks into the library to study or check out a book is reminded of the many children who currently do not have access to books or an education as they are living through war.
This has brought the community closer together, as Club President Olivia D. notes, "our school has been incredibly interactive with this fundraiser, and everyone, students and teachers, is truly exhibiting an amazing amount of support. We all want to aid Ukraine as much as we can, so we are thankful for the way our community has come together."
College students host Flower Sale to help fund critical supplies for children and their families
We thought that students might not know where to start or how to approach helping, so we decided to host this flower fundraiser to give them a chance to help. - Shaunelle Rivers, President of the UNICEF Club at Penn State
The UNICEF Club at Penn State recently hosted a Flower Fundraiser on campus. Students and other school community members could purchase the National Flower of Ukraine, a sunflower, or various yellow bouquets to donate to UNICEF's emergency response in Ukraine. Shaunelle Rivers, President of the Club, says the idea for the fundraiser originally came from Julija Paskevicius, the Club's student advisor. "We thought that students might not know where to start or how to approach helping, so we decided to host this flower fundraiser to give them a chance to help."
The fundraiser, which raised a total of $1145, was also an educational opportunity for students to learn more about Ukraine, the war's current events and its impact on children.
Want to take action to support UNICEF's response to the war in Ukraine?
The best way you can support UNICEF’s efforts is through donating or fundraising. Your financial support aids UNICEF’s evolving response to the war in Ukraine. Examples of the response are detailed below:
- Trucking safe water to conflicted-affected areas
- Prepositioning health, hygiene and emergency education supplies as close as possible to communities near the line of contact
- Working with municipalities to ensure there is immediate help for children and families in need
- Providing psychosocial care to children traumatized by the chronic insecurity
Host a fundraiser- Take a look at our Fundraising during Emergencies one pager for guidance. Once you’re ready, register your fundraiser through our Fundraiser & Event form for additional resources.
While UNICEF USA is accepting donations, we are not collecting supplies and other non-cash goods at the moment. Providing monetary donations is the best and fastest way to help UNICEF provide assistance to children in Ukraine. Unfortunately, gifts or items have to be screened, sorted, stored, transported and delivered making it inefficient for us to collect these items in terms of time and money. For this reason, we are accepting monetary donations to help with the evolving response to the military operation in Ukraine.
Raise awareness- Educate yourself and your community on the evolving conflict. Keep up to date on UNICEF’s latest response, statements and news by bookmarking our website, www.unicefusa.org, and checking out the resources below:
- Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on children in Ukraine
- UNICEF USA's Ukraine Page
- Social Press Kit - Spread awareness on social media with our branded posts.
HOW TO HELP
There are many ways to make a difference
War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.
Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.
