Many of us have wanted to help so thanks to our Neighbors Abroad for giving us this opportunity. It’s especially important that this NGO was already supporting Ukrainian orphans who are now in a terrible crisis situation.
On the one hand, $55,000 raised so far is a valuable achievement, but there are nearly 70,000 of us in Palo Alto. What could our impact be if most of our community contributed ANY amount, each according to their ability to do so?

It is amazing how this situation evolves more darkly daily and hourly. It is turning out to be more difficult to get the funding (even indirectly) into Ukraine. We have accomplished this with some of the earlier funds (about $30,000). Now we are directing support to resettlement for the children as they are outside of Ukraine - if we can't get the money into Ukraine, we will help those children as they arrive. I was anticipating that the children would be relieved to be out of Ukraine, but it is more complicated as we are hearing. The children are arriving traumatized, and some are breaking down upon crossing out of Ukraine. They will need time for healing.

Our gift in Palo Alto is that we are partnered with a small NGO focused broadly on several hundred orphan children. We are supporting a village, a village of children, and as such our contributions are having more direct impact. I hope over time we will know these kids, and can stay there for them. The organization we support had always been there for these kids, but they were in Ukraine. So much is in flux.