Photo caption: Rotary members and other volunteers pack donated supplies at a rented warehouse in Zamosc, Poland, a major hub for refugees and a centralized coordination location for aid from clubs in Europe. Monika Lozinska
The Rotary Foundation and Rotary clubs around the world have hurried to provide funds, supplies, and services to Ukrainians displaced by the war.
The Rotary Foundation has raised more than $15 million in contributions that are already helping provide people in Ukraine with essential items such as water, food, shelter, medicine, and clothing. Donations made to the Disaster Response Fund after 30 April will be available to all communities around the world that need assistance recovering from disasters.
A family that stands by you
Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, Iryna Bushmina fled her home in Kyiv and journeyed to Vienna, Austria, staying with Rotary members along the way. Their generosity inspired Bushmina, a member of the Rotaract Club of Kyiv-City, to organize a larger-scale relief effort — and now, she works with Rotaract Europe to find shelter for thousands of refugees through a website called United for Peace.
"I used to just say that Rotary International is a big family. Now I really believe it," Bushmina says. "And I am convinced that this is a family that will stand by you."
