Ukraine Crisis Appeal

Ukraine Crisis Appeal

Your support is needed more than ever.
Staff and volunteers at the Red Cross service centre in Uzhhorod distribute boxes containing hygiene items, clothes, shoes and children's toys for those who need them.

We are seeing a devastating humanitarian crisis unfold.

February 2022 saw the escalation of international armed conflict in Ukraine. Since then, over 6 million people have fled Ukraine and become refugees, and nearly 5 million people have been displaced internally.

The humanitarian needs continue to grow as the conflict drags on.

Some people are now returning home to badly damaged or destroyed houses, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure.

Health facilities are struggling to cope, and critical medical supplies are scarce.

Red Cross teams in Ukraine and surrounding countries have been there since day one, reaching over 14.5 million people with essential humanitarian assistance.

This includes healthcare and mental health support, cash and voucher assistance, water and sanitation services, and food support.

Donate today to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal and you can help provide emergency relief and longer-term humanitarian support to people and communities affected by this unfolding crisis.

Read more about the incredible impact donors have made to date.

How your support will help

  • Humanitarian activities to enable Red Cross and Red Crescent partners to address immediate and longer terms needs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, including to people who are displaced. This includes emergency relief assistance such as shelter, health, water, and sanitation.
  • Specialist aid workers to assist local teams to respond to the crisis
  • Helping people restore contact with family members separated by the crisis by offering services to maintain family links and locate missing family members
  • Monitoring and evaluation of the support
Information for people impacted by the armed conflict in Ukraine
How Red Cross can help
Інформація для людей, які постраждали від збройного конфлікту в Україні
Як Червоний Хрест може допомогти

About the Ukraine Crisis Appeal

As the security situation allows, Ukraine Red Cross, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and other Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners are responding to existing and emerging humanitarian needs.

Within Ukraine, teams are providing first aid and psychosocial support, transporting people to hospital, helping to reunite families through the Red Cross hotline, and delivering humanitarian aid to shelters, medical facilities, and temporary accommodations for those who are displaced. They’re present at border crossings, supporting families with food, water and hygiene kits, and organising bedding and clothing in places of temporary accommodation.

They’ve also assisted in evacuating over 57,000 people from Energodar, Sumy, Kviy region, Kharkiv and Kherson region to safer areas.

Red Cross teams across Eastern Europe are supporting the millions of people arriving from Ukraine.

Temporary accommodation has been set up along the borders to offer shelter or respite for the night. Volunteers are distributing food, water, bedding, clothes and basic aid items on both sides of the border and providing medical care and psychosocial support for those in need. They’re also handing out SIM cards, so that people can stay in touch with their loved ones.

Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) has 10,000 volunteers and 800 staff working across the country. Across the country, volunteers are providing first aid and psychosocial support, transporting people to hospital, helping to reunite families through the Red Cross hotline, and delivering humanitarian aid to shelters, medical facilities, and temporary accommodation for those who are displaced.

The ICRC operations in Ukraine are among the ten largest ICRC operations worldwide (out of 100 places they work). They have over 600 staff members in six offices across Ukraine on either side of the line of contact. The ICRC have been in Ukraine since 2014. Additional ICRC personnel have arrived in Ukraine to help scale up assistance work, including medical staff, weapons contamination specialists and other emergency team members. As of 23 March, about 140 additional staff have been deployed, joining a workforce of about 600in six offices across Ukraine on either side of the line of contact.

IFRC through its Country Delegation in Ukraine and supported by its Regional Office for Europe, has been providing technical support to URCS and mobilising international aid to programs and operations led by the National Society.

Donations to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal will help provide emergency relief and longer-term humanitarian support to people and communities affected by this unfolding crisis.

That support may include:

  • Humanitarian activities to enable Red Cross and Red Crescent partners to address immediate and longer terms needs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, including to people who are displaced. This includes emergency relief assistance such as shelter, health, water and sanitation.

  • Specialist aid workers to assist local teams to respond to the crisis

  • Helping people restore contact with family members separated by the crisis by offering services to maintain family links and locate missing family members

  • Monitoring and evaluation of the support
In the unlikely event that the funds raised exceed the amount required to meet the emergency needs of people in affected areas, or if there are circumstances beyond Red Cross’ control, excess funds will be directed to our work in international crises.

Our Restoring Family Links team can help people who have lost contact with relatives in Ukraine or Russia due to the current situation. We assess cases, and work through the global Family Links Network to assist people to re-establish contact with family members. Please be aware that because of the evolving situation this may take some time.

Our Restoring Family Links hotline is available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (AEST) on 1800 875 199 or via email at tracing@redcross.org.au.

Donations above $2 are tax-deductible in Australia. You will receive a receipt in your name in an email when you donate online.

Australian Red Cross will not deduct more than 10 per cent of money raised to cover indirect essential costs such as receipting donations, IT costs, costs to send the money overseas and overheads. Any interest earned on donations will be invested back into the appeal.

We welcome volunteer support, but we can’t send volunteers overseas to help in an emergency or humanitarian crisis. When we need to send people overseas, we have a roster of skilled aid workers with extensive experience in their field, together with previous international experience, and training in how our emergency operations work.  To volunteer with Red Cross in Australia, visit redcross.org.au/volunteer to search volunteer opportunities.     

We really appreciate the generosity, but we are not accepting in-kind donations for food, clothes, medical equipment or other items, as we’re unable to distribute those overseas. There are several good reasons for this. Every item has to be checked, cleaned, sorted, packed, transported, stored and distributed, which hugely increases the cost of the relief effort and diverts from work that may be needed on the ground.    

Also, the items donated aren’t always what people need. But cash helps people make dignified choices that are right for them. Even worse, unwanted boxes of donated goods can clog ports and post offices and actually prevent the delivery of essential items like medicines and relief supplies.   

The website DonateResponsibly.org has a great explanation of what can go wrong.    

If you have good-quality clothes or household items, our Red Cross Shops would gratefully accept them, to on-sell in Australia and raise funds for our vital work. Find out how you can donate.

Photo, top: Anette Selmer-Andresen/IFRC. Photo, bottom: The emergency healthcare unit of Hungarian Red Cross at the Ukrainina border. Tamara Vukov/IFRC.

Charity donations of $2 or more to Australian Red Cross may be tax deductible in Australia. Site protected by Google Invisible reCAPTCHA. © Australian Red Cross 2024. ABN 50 169 561 394