My Peace Corps service was in a rural village in Ukraine. I worked for the Village Council where I helped with infrastructure projects. I’d like to raise money and supplies for them, and their local Territorial Defense Force (local militia).

My host dad is 42, a father of three boys, and husband to a local journalist. He’s a Jack of all trades, and is leading a small unit in the Territorial Defense Force on 12-hour shifts to patrol the border with Belarus. There are reports of thousands of Russian and Belarusian soldiers and tanks only 20 miles away. They have only been issued rifles and significantly lack any combat/medical supplies. He has asked me for super basic supplies, like first aid kits, 2-way radios, headlamps, tactical gloves, etc.

My counterpart is 43, a father of one son, and husband to a distance runner. He has a brilliant mind for project development with a gigantic wide open heart. As I was leaving my service in Ukraine, he had just won a multi-million euro grant for a project to bring a wastewater treatment system to my village. He lives in a nearby city and was awakened by explosions in the very first round of shelling. He’s a kind and gentle guy who immediately attempted to join the Territorial Defense Force but was denied because they didn’t have any more guns. A week later, he got his gun. It’s a kalashnikov made in Czechoslovakia in 1964. Nearly 60 years old. I’ve already sent him $500 and he’s used it to buy Celox (advanced bandages that rapidly stop lethal bleeding) from Poland and sent it to the people fighting on the front lines.

There are many ways to donate. And there are some scams out there to be aware of. If you want to donate to the Ukrainian national military, I would suggest  Come Back Alive, but clicking through to the donation page inevitably leads you to a page in Ukrainian.  This is where your credit card number goes  if you want to donate to Come Back Alive.

Another one I like is  Global Giving, which is focused on humanitarian aid.

And the Ukrainian government just published a website with many different official donation options.

I am focusing my fundraising efforts specifically on the people I know. The ones who took such amazing care of me while I was there. I'm sending money and supplies as I can. I'm withholding names and places for their safety, but funds/supplies are going directly to my host family, host organization, counterpart, and my village's Territorial Defense Force.

This fundraiser has exceeded my goal and people are still flexing their generosity muscles, so I'll just keep it open and keep funneling funds as they come in!