For ways to donate, see below…
For a statement from Britain Yearly Meeting please click here …
And for a collection of useful links and resources see this page from Northern Friends Peace Board in the UK: https://nfpb.org.uk/ukraine_2022/
For more reporting, see this article in The Friend: https://thefriend.org/article/quakers-condemn-the-attack-on-ukraine which includes a comment from one Friend in Russia about his son: “I will not allow this government to indoctrinate my child with the propaganda of death”.
Online Meetings to uphold Ukraine
Friends House Moscow supporters in the USA are running an international online Meeting for Worship, to join other Friends holding in the Light all the people affected by the current crisis in Ukraine. This meeting will run EVERY DAY. The start time depends on your time zone. In California (Pacific time, PDT) it starts at 9:00 am. As some time zones are currently changing, with daylight saving time coming in, please check your local time. (You can compare times around the world at www.thetimenow.com.) At the time of writing (14 March) the times are 12:00 pm Eastern US (EDT), 4:00 pm UK, 6:00 pm Kyiv, and 7:00 pm Moscow). Zoom meeting id: 416 500 5614 and passcode: 182805
FWCC/EMES (the collective body for Quaker Meetings in Europe and the Middle East) has also been hosting similar online Meetings. At the time of writing, meetings are planned for Wednesday 16 March at 10:00 am UK time and Saturday 26 March at 09.00 am UK time. For information about these and future meetings (including meeting time and a link to register), please visit this link and scroll down to ‘Meetings for Worship’.
Quakers in Kyiv
There are a small group of Quakers in Kyiv. Here is a link for their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/QuakersKyivUkraine/
You can join them on Zoom for silent worship on Sundays. Currently, they are holding two meetings so that Friends can join from different countries: an EARLY meeting at 09:15 Kyiv time, and a LATE meeting at 20:00 Kyiv time. Please check your local time, as some time zones are currently changing with daylight saving. Next Sunday (20 March) the early meeting would start at 18:15 Sydney/Melbourne time, and the late meeting at 10:00 San Francisco, 18:00 London. (You can compare times around the world at www.thetimenow.com.)
For the Zoom details, please visit their Facebook page using this link.
The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) in Ukraine
The AVP project in Ukraine receives financial support from Friends House Moscow. In “normal” times they run training workshops on nonviolent approaches to conflict situations.
Latest news: The AVP workshop programme was temporarily suspended following the invasion. At that time, some of their facilitators left Ukraine to go to other countries, with an intention of helping refugees. We now hear that the facilitators have returned from abroad, and that they feel they can continue with their programme in Ukraine as originally planned.
From AVP Ukraine’s Facebook page (4 April): “It’s very difficult to accept everything that is happening. It’s hard to control emotions listening to witnesses’ stories or looking at photographs of people killed and destroyed cities. Yet, remember that we have a Transforming Power. The power that will transform rage into inspiration, desperation to help others, immediately to love for loved ones, anger into a willingness to work. We need each other now more than ever. Which means – we have to be resilient…”
Ways to support people in Ukraine
If you wish to support AVP Ukraine you can donate via Friends House Moscow – we will pass on donations when circumstances permit.
To give general humanitarian support, we are collecting donations for refugees from Ukraine who have arrived in central Europe. The money will be sent via Quakers (QCEG, the Central Europe Gathering) who will pass the funds to local organisations who are helping refugees. You can read more here: https://fwccemes.org/news/quaker-support-for-ukraine . That web page has links to donate in either £ sterling or in euros. You can also donate in £ sterling via our own FHM fundraising page here: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/20385
If you want to donate to QCEG in US dollars, you can make a general donation to FHM in USD and we can pass the money on – but you must let us know that the money is intended for Ukraine. (If sending a check, enclose a note; or if donating online via PayPal, also send us an email message about it.)
Here are some other ways you can help:
- At the time of writing, the UK government has announced that it will match all donations to a refugee fund for Ukraine up to a total of £20 million. Aid workers at the Disasters Emergency Committee, which comprises 15 British charities, will distribute the money for refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. You can donate here: Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal | Disasters Emergency Committee (dec.org.uk)
- In Ukraine itself, The BEARR Trust is raising funds “to pay for urgent humanitarian aid for vulnerable people. The money will go to local charities in Ukraine and Moldova, who are already partners in our work to improve the health and social welfare of vulnerable people. They will be able to use it quickly to provide food, shelter, clothing, medicine and specialised transport for elderly or disabled people who are in Ukraine or who are now refugees in Moldova and who find it difficult to look after themselves.” BEARR works in the countries of the former Soviet Union; in the past they have supported a number of projects by channelling money via Friends House Moscow. More information on their Facebook page here , and you can donate via https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/19892
- For Friends in the USA, we can’t give a single link because there are many different charities organising aid to Ukraine – please have a look.
(Header image – Ukraine flag flying over the city of Kharkiv (c) sandsun http://sverdelov.com)