During a humanitarian crisis, it is often the needs of the marginalised and the most vulnerable in society which are overlooked. We at Legacy of War Foundation believe that no person should be left behind. That’s why our ambulance is saving lives and facilitating evacuations in recently liberated areas of Ukraine, and why we’ve funded shelters and hubs around the country to support displaced women, LGBTQ+ people, and adults and children with disabilities.

Since the war began, we’ve supplied over £500000 of specialist aid and grants - but we know more is urgently needed to support vulnerable Ukrainians.

CASE STUDY: OUR LEGACY AMBULANCEs

When the war began, we were quickly alerted to an urgent problem: evacuation transport was rarely accessible, and people with disabilities in Ukraine were literally being left behind. Our first fully-equipped ambulance (below) has been in the Dnipro region and liberated territories since June, operating hundreds of supported evacuation missions for adults and children with disabilities and complex needs. When it became apparent that regional hospitals simply could not cope with the demands of the war, the NGO Casers team began treating and transporting civilians who needed urgent medical care too.

But now, with power cuts and supply shortages, there is a significant gap in emergency and evacuation provision. Winter is coming, demand is ever increasing, and the team is having to cover a wide area, including working in high-risk areas.

Our CEO Giles Duley joined Evgeniy and our ambulance in November 2022:

The season is turning here in Kyiv; today was the first when I really felt winter’s chill. I met up with Evgeniy, who runs our partner organisation and drives the ambulance we have here. They are operating in Donbas, evacuating those with disabilities, the elderly or recently injured. On their last evacuation run, they found two of the eight elderly couples already dead in their homes; the cold, lack of food, no medical support.

As that cold wind started to bite into me today as I walked the darkened streets of Kyiv I couldn’t stop thinking that if things are this bad already, what lies ahead in this cruel winter of war?

Evgeniy of NGO Casers (pictured) explains:

We have a line of drivers and medics who want to serve and help people —  we just need help to evacuate more people and save more lives.

Your donations will help us fund additional vehicles and support for Evgeniy’s team and others, to ensure no-one in front line regions is left behind.

SUPPORTING WOMEN AND LGBTQ+ PEOPLE

Millions of Ukrainian women and their children have had to flee constant bombardments, occupation and dire conditions across the country—with little more than a small bag of personal possessions—and find refuge in western Ukraine or beyond. As a result, accommodation is in short supply and prices are high.

In August, we partnered with Ukrainian civil society organisations Insight and Marsh Zhinok who have been campaigning for the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people since 2014. We’re funding their residential emergency shelters in Lviv and Chernivtsi for LBGTQ+ people, women and children, providing short-term free accommodation, food and psychosocial support to over 500 internally displaced people - giving them time and space to figure out their next steps.

We know how vital it is that all our work continues to reflect changing needs on the ground. When the scale of energy shortages became apparent, we began responding to urgent requests for alternative provision and funded a locally-purchased 22KVA generator to enable Marsh Zhinok’s volunteer-run humanitarian hub (pictured) to continue operating through power outages, supplying necessities to thousands of families across the country. 

Our focus is now on swiftly supplying solar lighting, heaters and generators to hospitals, humanitarian hubs and displaced families. Donate now.

PARTNERSHIPS & ADVOCACY

We’ve utilised our collaborative working model and cross-border partnerships to connect our Ukrainian partners with colleagues in international NGOs to provide the support and training they need to scale up their operations.

Alongside this work on the ground, we continue to offer advocacy and remote support for those with particularly complex needs, including visa casework for families who have been failed by the complex bureaucracy of the UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme. 

We are also looking to the future, recognising the need for sustainable, long-term projects which will deliver meaningful support long after the war has ended. In Transcarpathia, where we work with the local NGO Molotok, we’ve already delivered over £35000 to fund residential support and art therapy projects for internally displaced children and young people.

HOW we work

Legacy of War Foundation campaigns for a world without war, and supports the survivors and communities affected by it. Our founder and CEO, Giles Duley, has a long history of working in Ukraine and has been documenting the conflict in Donbass since 2015.

When the invasion began, we immediately reached out to our partner organisations on the ground. We have a track record of working alongside grassroots organisations who are experienced in providing vital support to their communities, and strive to work in solidarity and collaboration with partners on the ground.  We ensure organisations with local experience can continue delivering crucial aid to those who need it the most - while we focus on coordinating funding, vetting partnerships, sourcing and purchasing specialist supplies, and bringing together partners to facilitate their work. Our ten guiding principles - designed in conjunction with our patrons, partners, trustees and staff - underpin all our work.

So far, we’ve delivered over £500000 of aid and donations weighing over 29t (more than four elephants!) to our partners in Ukraine - including fully-equipped ambulances, specialist medical equipment and medications, and wheelchairs and other mobility aids. To read more about our grant making follow this link.

How you can help

We’re funding generators, emergency vehicles, shelters,and disability hubs to coordinate mobility aids and other vital equipment - but we know more is needed. Your donations will help to create real change for marginalised communities: not only while the war is ongoing but long into the future.

• Donate to help us supply additional generators, heaters and 4x4 evacuation vehicles.

• Check our dedicated Ukraine resources where you can find information and other resources to help.

• Join us in our demand for No More War! Buy one of our sustainably produced t-shirts, featuring our No More War stencils and a design from the legendary Jamie Reid - who designed the Sex Pistols album covers - to support our work with survivors of conflict in Ukraine and around the globe.

• Collaborate with us: We believe that as global citizens, we all have the power to help bring this appalling violation of international law to a swift end. If you can speak or write in Ukrainian, or have social media and marketing skills, you could help us and our partners on the ground: contact us.

About Legacy of War Foundation (UA)

Фонд «Legacy of War/Спадщина війни» — міжнародна благодійна організація, що надає підтримку цивільним особам, які постраждали внаслідок збройного комфлікту. Наша місія проста – допомогти людям і громадам відновити своє життя після травми війни. Ми віримо в надання інструментів, навчання, освіти та іншої підтримки – будь то фізична, психологічна чи економічна – яка дає змогу тим, з ким ми працюємо, формувати своє власне майбутнє.

Ми заснували Фонд «Legacy of War/Спадщина війни», тому що хотіли робити речі по-іншому, кинути виклик традиційним неоколоніальним концепціям у секторі допомоги та розробити модель, якою керують наші бенефіціари (а краше сказати «партнери»). З 2017 року ми зібрали понад 600 000 фунтів стерлінгів на підтримку громад, що постраждали від збройного конфлікту.

With thanks to our partners