May 13: Relief Updates
We are so amazed and grateful for the continued donations from individuals and organizations in support of Ukraine. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. This week, we were able to provide support for civilian defenders, canned meat and other food for individuals in Kharkiv, and funds for a partner organization helping women and girls in Ukraine.
The recipients of your donations are our colleagues and alumni of our exchange programs and other work in Ukraine. These individuals are community leaders who have established charitable organizations or NGOs in Ukraine and Poland.
City of Boryspil (Kyiv Region) $2,000
The sister cities of Hopkins, Minnesota, and Boryspil, Ukraine, stand together in both good times and bad. The first result of the community-wide fundraising efforts in Hopkins ensured financial support for civilian defenders of Boryspil.
St. Thomas Aquinas Institute (Kharkiv Region) $2,000
No challenge is too large for our partners Olean and Maksym. Together they have been supporting six communities across the frontlines in the Kharkiv region. As they started receiving more requests for canned meat, they found a creative approach to meeting the demand while preserving scarce resources. With donated funds from Global Synergy Group, they purchased an autoclave and set up their own small production of canned meat. In doing so, they have saved several nearby communities from starving. Just this week, they made multiple shipments of canned food, vital medications, and hygiene products to communities in need.
NGO Girls (Bucha and Kyiv region) $1,000
This Mother's Day, we began fundraising and sending donations to support moms who work in the beauty industry (hairdressers, nail technicians, eyelash extension and eyebrow specialists) in Bucha, Irpen, Vorzel, and Kyiv. These are mothers who lost the tools of their trade during the Russian occupation and with your support, are able to start generating an income for themselves and their families once again.
Rotary Support (Kyiv, Kharkiv) $3,000
Thanks to the stellar fundraising, coordination, and collaboration between the Rotary Clubs in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Kyiv, and Kharkiv, our volunteers in Kharkiv were able to receive a truck load of approximately twenty tons of humanitarian aid from Portugal. This humanitarian aid, since distributed to local communities, contained food, water, medicine and more. The funds from Rotarians helped solve transportation challenges involved in getting these supplies to the right people.
Seamstresses Sewing Uniforms (Kyiv) $1,000
In the Kyiv area, a few brave women came together to start a small sewing project as a way to keep busy during the Russian invasion. Their efforts soon grew into a full-scale operation. Today, they make t-shirts for the Ukrainian Army. Funds from Global Synergy Group are being used to purchase more fabric to continue their work.
Total amount transferred to Ukraine to date is $115,650