A Balance of Relief and Recovery is Needed
We remain forever grateful to relief agencies like the Red Cross and CARE, who continue to work tirelessly to provide emergency relief to the victims of Ukraine, including the resettlement of refugees in Canada. If you were amongst their donors, we thank you for opening your hearts and wallets. As we begin to turn our attention to the long road to recovery that will soon begin, planning and investment is greatly needed now. Join CDF Canada as we get the building blocks in place for Ukraine’s long-term recovery.
Massive Recovery Requires Collaborative Action
While the world had hoped the crisis would soon come to an end, sadly, the war continues. The process of rebuilding Ukraine’s war-torn country to meet the future needs of its people, will require significant investment in economic development and social transformation – even more so as the devastation mounts. As we collaborate with several co-operative agencies – including the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions – we invite you to join CDF Canada’s efforts to rebuild Ukraine and reunite its people, so they too can benefit from a safe, healthy and sustainable society.
Strategic Use of Funds
For many reasons, it remains too risky to send funding to military zones, however there is still much we can do, starting with the resettlement of more than 2,000 displaced women in our very own credit union and co-operative communities, food security initiatives and credit union infrastructure. And while we may not be able to put all the funds into action immediately, we need to be ready to take action immediately upon ceasefire, causing us to “plan now and pay later”.
Repayment of loans for members who have suffered death and other misfortunes, for example, is something we can start to address now, alongside broader issues such as credit union operations, and food security and agricultural support.
Impact to Date
Thank you to everyone who donated to CDF Canada’s Ukraine Campaign. To date, we’ve raised some much-needed funds, resulting in immediate impact. With your help, we’ve been able to invest in CDF’s SEW Ukraine project (Supporting Economic Prosperity for Women), to purchase sewing machines and materials, aimed at fostering economic prosperity for several thousands of vulnerable women, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts of Ukraine. The project is creating positive impact by giving access to employment, vocational training, workplace integration training, and ancillary services such as shared childcare facilities.
Food Security
We’ve also begun to invest in food security, working with a local organization to help Ukrainians grow their “Victory Gardens” – in any available space – to fight the mounting food insecurity issue ravaging their country. Their goal is to mobilize every resource available to create urban gardens, to grow food where it’s needed most – right in the homes of the people and onto the plates of families. Rethinking how they use balconies, rooftops, lawns, parks and even wastelands to grow food for themselves and their neighbours, will help build self-reliance and resiliency for the people of Ukraine. CDF Canada’s donations will be put to immediate use for things such as seed, farm equipment, and harvesting, alongside the much-needed rebuilding of their infrastructures like canning facilities, distribution centres and warehouses.
Reaching our Goal, Together
Much has been done, but more is needed.Help us reach our fundraising target, so we can look towards the rebuild and recovery of the credit union community, which we’ve all worked so hard to grow. Credit unions here in Canada are strong. In Ukraine, they’ve literally crumbled to the ground. Doors closed to the members, or even blown off in some cases, making access to financial recovery next to impossible.
With such catastrophic physical and natural infrastructure damage caused by Russian attacks, the scale of recovery will be unlike anything we’ve seen since the second world war. It will take funding from a multitude of organizations, including CDF Canada, which is focused on recovery and rebuilding. If you’ve already given to a Ukraine charity – or are currently supporting relief measures – please consider donating a small portion of those funds towards the significant investment that will be needed to rebuild Ukraine. There are actions we can take now, such as addressing dire food insecurity, which also lay the foundation for tomorrow. Your investment today will support our efforts to support Ukraine in rebuilding a strong and sustainable future.
