Ukraine needs support

Rotarians around the world have been supporting Ukraine is any they can. Below are 3 ways you can get involved.

Send supplies or financial support

A man in Callington, called Darren, from the start of the Russian invasion has been supporting Ukraine by organising vans to be driven over with supplies. In the first convoy in 2022 9 vans went and to date over 200 vans have driven over to support with aid. They are planning trip 27 soon with an ambulance and are looking for donations to go with it. Please see below the list of items needed but also head to the 'Cornwall and Devon sending love to Ukraine' website 

 Friendship Boxes

The ongoing war is seriously affecting the mental health and educational progress of children and young people still living there. They need interesting ang stimulating things to do while in the shelters or at home. Working with our fellow Rotarians in Ukraine we have developed the Friendship Boxes project which will run throughout the year. 

Please fill as many friendship boxes as possible

- Include interesting and stimulating things

- Use a strong plastic box with lid

- Maximum size = length 40cm, width 30cm, depth 30cm

-Label box with your Rotary Clubs logo and the age appropriate to to receive the box e.g 5-9, 9-12 or 13-16. 

- Afterwards it becomes a lightweight, easily transportable storage box for the 'special things' they all like to keep. 

Content Ideas:

- Coloured pencils, crayons, colouring books, puzzles and reading books

- Good wishes card

- Small toy

To help with the smooth transit to  and within Ukraine please attach a contents list for your filled box to the lid to support with legal requirments. 

Please DO NOT include ood, liquids, batteries, or sharp objects. 

Transportation: For info about what to do with your filled and labelled boxes with each box's contents list. please contaxt Rotarian Dr Cheryle Berry  (cheryle.berry@btinternet.com)

Contibutions and Donations:

You could also help by making a financial contribution for the Friendship Boxes by sending your donation to:

Wessex Rotary CIO

Account Number: 23520218

Sort Code: 20- 11-43

REFERENCE: 'FRIEND' 

Greetings cards and friendship letters

The ongoing war in Ukraine is reducing the opportunities for many children and young people to spend time with or otherwise connect with others their own age. A really simple way to extend a hand of friendship would be for children and young people here in Rotary GB&I to send a greeting card or friendship letter. Our Rotarian friends in Ukraine will ensure these cards and messages reach Ukrainian children in appropraite age bands. In many instances the young people receiving these will send a reply.
Appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place in both GB&I and in Ukraine. 
What to do:

-Reach out to young people in your community including Rotakids, Interact, youth groups, schools,uniformed organisations and community groups and ask them to use their creative skills to write/ draw a greeting card/young person in Ukraine. 
-Put the card or letter in an unsealed envelope. It is important to assist with safeguarding that you do not seal the envelope. 
-Write the age group the card is for on the fron of the envelope 5-8, 9-12 or 13-16. 
- Gather all the envelopes together and make a note of how many cards or friendship letters for each age range and put them all together into one large enveloped to be posted to specific Rotarians in Ukraine using the postal sytem.
-Email Rotarian Dr Cheryle.berry@btinternet.com to let her know how many large enveloped you have, including how many cards and letters for each age range. Cheryle will advise you of the address to post your large envelope/s to.

Please share with Rotakids, Interact, local schools, youth groups and your community. A simple idea that can really make a difference for the children and young people receiving these boxes.