Call for Tipperary volunteers for project to help Ukrainian refugees
Online network matching refugees with practical support for relocation
Helpify Community Ukraine is calling on people in Tipperary to join its Europe-wide volunteer network to assist those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
The not-for-profit, online platform aims to ease the burden for refugees by connecting those in need of help with a nearby volunteer who can meet their request. This might include travel or legal advice, transport, medical needs, short-term accommodation, translations or pet care.
Olena Leontieva, a Ukrainian national living in Ireland and Helpify Community Ukraine spokesperson explains, “the Helpify Community is about holding Ukrainians’ hands through every step of their journey – from their homes to the border and onward to their ultimate destination.
"Like so many people when the war broke out, we felt helpless. There were thousands of asks for help per hour on social media, most of them going unanswered. We wanted to find a way to connect the people who need help with those who can provide it.”
“People fleeing their homes don’t have the time or headspace to scroll for information on government websites or figure out complicated travel itineraries. Helpify takes the burden off the refugees. All the work is done by volunteers and the only ask of Ukrainians is to raise a mission.”
Helpify Community was established in Belgium during the pandemic to connect those in lockdown with volunteers who could help with dog-walking, pharmacy runs and other needs. When the Ukraine invasion began, Olena Leontieva and her team partnered with Helpify to repurpose the platform for global use and translate it into Ukrainian and Polish. It was active in just five days.
Olena Leontieva added, “Every day, people in Ireland are asking me how they can help. Registering as a volunteer for Helpify Community Ukraine is a way for everyone to do what they can, whether that’s driving a family from the airport to their destination, offering advice, providing clothes or short-term accommodation.
"Over 300 volunteers in Ireland have already joined Helpify but with up to 100,000 Ukrainian nationals expected here, we need all the help we can get.”