Cape Town - Aid relief group Gift of the Givers (GOTG) is bringing relief to Ukrainians caught up in the conflict with Russia, providing food and essentials on the ground in the country.
Russia invaded Ukraine last month and to date about 3 million Ukrainians have sought refuge outside its borders.
GOTG founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said his organisation stepped in to assist on March 5 and had been sending money daily to assist people in four regions; Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Slavutych.
“We are very fortunate that a gentleman from Mossel Bay is married to a Ukrainian lady. She had just moved out of Kyiv when the bombing started. She then took a decision not to return to South Africa, with the aim to help as best she could,” Sooliman said.
“That area was completely encircled by Russians, so it was very difficult to bring anything from outside. Everything had to be bought from the inside. As the days progressed, we were guiding them remotely on how to intervene in a disaster.
“They eventually organised themselves better, found better prices. They found more shops and developed a better network. And they started getting calls from people who saw (GOTG) were involved, because our signage started going up. (They) found facilities where they could store goods.”
GOTG is providing fuel for around 70 vehicles in Ukraine for the distribution of necessities. An urgent request for medical supplies for frontline workers was made, which they will be providing.
GOTG have launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, with a moving target of R1 million. The disaster relief organisation has raised over R4.1m through 36 projects on BackaBuddy since 2017.
BackaBuddy COO Catherine du Plooy said: “The Gift of the Givers’ resilience and compassion is a true reflection of the South African spirit. We are exceptionally proud to partner with this incredible organisation, which strives to uplift humanity; not just at home, but all over the globe.”
Sooliman recently met with Suzanne Ackerman-Berman from the Ackerman Family Foundation, which contributed R1.5m towards the repatriation of SA and African students.
With regards to the repatriation of students, Sooliman said: “We actually haven’t taken anybody’s money. The pledges were made.
“They wanted to make a deposit, but we haven’t taken the money unless we have numbers that are confirmed and we know those students want to come home. But once it’s confirmed, then of course we’ll make a call for additional money if that’s required,” Sooliman said.
To assist, visit the GOTG website, use the reference “Ukraine” when donating or call 0800 786 911.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said as of Thursday, 11 students had been repatriated and an additional three would be landing this morning and another on March 21.