• Donor community responds, raising S$2M in 1 week
• Rapid increase in humanitarian needs due to intensified hostilities

Singapore, 4 March 2022 - The first tranche of aid from Singapore Red Cross’ earlier US$100,000 commitment has arrived in Ukraine, and is being distributed by the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as part of their ongoing response.

The SRC has been in active contact with the Ukrainian Red Cross and the IFRC on the ground situation. The URCS, with the support of the Red Cross Movement, has provided lifesaving assistance as follows: 

• More than 30,000 people have already received humanitarian aid from the Red Cross emergency stockpile: including hygiene and food kits, warm clothing and medicine.
• Ukraine Red Cross Rapid Response Units are
  • providing support to fire brigades and State Emergency Services in repairing damage to civilian buildings and infrastructure. More than 50 lives have been saved during this time. 
  • on duty at congested border crossing points: arranging places for mothers and children; providing water, food and hygiene items; supporting people with first aid and psychological first aid on a 24/7 basis.
  • assisting in evacuation of civilians from places where shelling takes place.
  • organising collection points for essentials in the regions to be handed over to those who need them now: clothes, food, hygiene items, drinks, bed linen, blankets, etc.
  • distributing food and water to 8,000 people taking shelter in Kyiv’s metro stations and 4,000 people staying in shelters in Mariupol.

Red Cross Societies in neighbouring countries such as Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Hungary and Slovakia have provided humanitarian support at the border, distributing food items, water, non-food items, hygiene products, and communication services, where over 500,000 people have fled Ukraine. 

Mr Benjamin William, Secretary General and CEO of Singapore Red Cross, said, “I am heartened to see the outpouring of support from the people of Singapore for our humanitarian response to the crisis in Ukraine. It is a show of solidarity with the communities suffering heavy casualties in Ukraine.”

“Our team has been working closely with the Ukrainian Red Cross, IFRC and other National Societies to provide assistance to address the most pressing needs. Much of the focus will be on the vulnerable, including children (many who are unaccompanied), single women with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The combination of an active and bloody conflict, extreme cold weather and Covid-19 means that for the people in the conflict regions and those who have been displaced from their homes (already exceeding 1 million), the days ahead will be a struggle for survival. The essential needs continue to increase day by day. Only through the collaborative effort of many parties, including we in Singapore, can we effectively reach out to meet the needs of the affected persons and communities.”

OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FROM COMMUNITY

In Singapore, donations to the SRC fundraising appeal have reached about S$2 million. This includes the Singapore Government’s contribution of US$100,000 to the humanitarian operations. 

Corporate organisations including Credence and Frasers Property have launched employee giving initiatives; Frasers Property has also made outright donations. Revolut is making it easy for their communities to donate via its app. Home-based bakery Little Beauties Bakes is donating sale proceeds of baked goods, whilst some students are selling accessories in school to raise funds.

The key challenges in delivering humanitarian aid include logistical limitations and disrupted supply chains. Unsolicited in-kind donations for Ukraine remain a challenge for the Red Cross Societies on the ground to handle, exacerbating capacity to store, transport and distribute it. Red Cross encourages monetary donations as cash can be used to purchase items more quickly at nearby unaffected regions, thereby enhancing flexibility in the Red Cross response coordination at this time of need.

The Red Cross reiterates our call for unhindered access to civilians for Humanitarian Aid. In line with universally accepted International Humanitarian Law, the Red Cross has called for the protection of non-combatants and critical infrastructure such as water and power systems in Ukraine, so that all humanitarian actors, including the Red Cross, will be able to have access to civilians needing help. 

The Singapore Red Cross has activated its “Restoring Family Links” (RFL) service to assist Singapore residents to locate their immediate family members who may have been affected by the disasters with whom they have difficulty in contacting. For assistance, please contact SRC.

Please refer to our FAQs for more information.

Photo via Maksym Trebukhov for Ukrainian Red Cross.