01.03.2022

 

Legal advice for refuges, clothes and basic necessities as well as financial assistance for those who cannot leave – the ASI is collecting examples of how non-profit organisations in Moscow are helping displaced persons and residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk so-called “republics”.*

 

From footwear to shoes

 

The Second Breath charity is collecting basic necessities and personal hygiene products such as toothpaste and brushes, soap, shampoo, shower gels, laundry detergents, toilet paper, tampons and nappies.

 

“All items must have a current expiry date. Shower gels and shampoos that have already been opened must be secured tightly so as not to compromise the integrity of their contents while being transported”, the charity explained.

 

The charity is also collecting good quality clothes and shoes. Casual and seasonal clothes that are suitable for school wear are items most needed by children, together with brand new

underwear and shoes, including footwear with rubber soles in sizes 25 to 34. The public can also donate drawing and colouring books and crayons for children.

 

Clothes and shoes can be dropped off at any Second Breath collection point. Basic necessities can be left with volunteers in Charity Shop stores which are open from 11 am to 9 pm.

 

Money is also being raised via the Second Breath website (https://vtoroe.ru/sbor-pomoschi-bezhentsam) which will be used to provide clothing for refugees and to purchase basic necessities.

 

Certificates for refugees

 

The Dr Liza Fair Help and Dobrye Veshchi charities are issuing certificates to displaced persons from Donbas living in temporary accommodation centres in the Rostov and Voronezh regions which can be used to obtain clothes for free in shops run by these charities.

 

“Staff and volunteers will send us a list of people in need every 10 days. We will provide all possible assistance to single mothers and fathers, families with disabled children and those with several children”, said organisers from the Dobrye Veshchi charity.

 

Clothes and shoes can be taken to Dobrye Veshchi collection points or delivered via the website (https://dobrove.ru/vyvoz-veshey) or by calling +7 (495) 744 76 93.

 

Legal advice

 

The Civil Assistance Committee (CAC) in Moscow (which is listed on the CSO foreign agents’ register) is continuing to operate. The CSO helps refugees and migrants by advising them on legal issues and asylum applications. Its office has moved and is now located at 10, Olympisky Prospect, Building No. 2. According to Nikolai Voroshilov, a CAC media spokesman, the CSO has been receiving appeals from both Ukrainian and Russian residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk territories since late last month.

 

“We have been supporting refugees from the south-east of the country since the start of the conflict and will continue to help those who come to us given the current escalation in hostilities”, said the CAC.

 

The public can bring clothes, dishes, hygiene products and other items that refugees might need to the new CAC office.

 

Help for those who cannot leave

 

The Gulfstream charity has been helping families in need of psychological, educational, medical and social assistance for around 10 years.

The organisation has started a charity fundraising appeal in support of women and children unable to leave the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The money raised will be used to purchase basic necessities and medicines.

 

“It is now extremely difficult to obtain the most basic items such as antibiotics, antiseptics and painkillers in Donetsk and Luhansk. As a result, even a small wound can develop into something far worse”, said a member of the Gulfstream charity.

 

Collecting children’s clothes and other things

 

The House of Friends charity is collecting clothes for refugees from Donetsk and Luhansk. Lana Zhurkina, CEO of the House of Friends, wrote on Facebook about the urgent need for children’s clothes and shoes for those living in temporary accommodation centres (TACs). Brand new or used good quality clothing are also being accepted.

 

“One of the TACs houses 340 children from six months to 17 years of age, and another is holding 430 from orphanages and shelters”, said Lana.

 

The organisation is also collecting food (cereal, pasta, canned food, tea, sugar and condensed milk), hygiene products (soap, toothpaste and brushes, shampoo, toilet paper, feminine hygiene items, wet wipes), household cleaning agents and bandages. Also in need are care products for the bed-ridden, nappies and other items.

 

Items can be dropped off at 54 Polbina Street in Moscow. The first batch of collected goods will be delivered to Rostov-on-Don around 5-6 March where they will be picked up by House of Friends volunteers.

* wording changed by The BEARR Trust to reflect the true nature of these territories