I’ve seen a lot of posts going around that sort of…mock the idea that you, an individual person, can make any sort of difference by donating to Ukraine. And I find that sentiment really unhelpful. Look, I understand that those of us who don’t have a ton of money (myself included) probably feel like giving money to Ukraine won’t make as much of a difference as we’d like it to make (I wish I had thousands or millions of dollars to donate, but I don’t.) But every bit DOES help. And I feel like some people are being needlessly cynical right now. Obviously, you should do research on charities before giving to them. But that’s not what this post is about. It’s about the fact that some people are really saying, “Donating to Ukraine won’t solve anything/it won’t change anything.” But whether it will “solve” anything on a large scale is beside the point… People are being displaced, their homes are being bombed, their lives are completely in chaos. They need food, they need basic supplies, they need everything they can get. I saw a photo of a pile of boots that people in one neighborhood in the UK were donating to Ukraine. Sure, it was only about 30 pairs of boots, but every pair of those boots will go on somebody’s feet. That matters! Will donating money/supplies stop the war? No, of course not. But it WILL make a measurable difference in the lives of people who are suffering right now. And I know that not everybody is even in a position to donate right now. But please, please, stop saying that donations don’t achieve anything.
(Here are some charities recommended by NPR)
