LESBIANS FOR REFUGEES

From the very first day, still stunned by the horrific news of Putin’s war on Ukraine, EL*C wasted no time in taking immediate and concrete action to come to the help of our community. Without hesitation, we did what lesbians* do best – get sh*t done - and jumped in our cars to drive to the Ukrainian borders, while the rest of our team mobilised our pan-European lesbian network.

Just within a few hours from activating EL*C’s emergency helpline, the team on the ground had picked up the first rainbow families from the border and brought them to rest in one of our safe houses. Many have followed since, and several are already on their way to be relocated with their European lesbian hosts.

EL*C is now operating at the borders with Ukraine providing emergency support and housing, supplying essential goods and services, but also ensuring long-term solutions for refugees through our lesbian hosting network, as well as organising humanitarian aid for our community in Ukraine, in coordination with our partners NGOs.

These actions are URGENT and COSTLY.

So far we have been relying on our own human and financial resources, but we will rapidly run out of our reserves, while the needs and demand are increasing.

We need your support to ensure the SUSTAINABILITY of the different actions – in Ukraine, at the borders and beyond.

Please consider DONATING, and read below about other ways to HELP!

You can make all the difference and allow us to be there for those in our community that had to leave their homes, jobs, and dreams behind, to save their lives.

EL*C has mobilized to provide support through the following actions:

1) Emergency support at the borders of Ukraine in all neighbouring countries (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, and Romania)

· Operating a 24/7 emergency helpline

· Organising pick-ups at the borders and transportation to the safe houses

· Managing emergency safe housing

· Provision of essential goods (food, medicine, hygiene products, clothes, etc)

· Coordination with NGO partners in neighbouring countries

2) Relocation to countries across Europe, through our Lesbian Hosting Network

3) Provision of information and services, including psychological, medical and legal support, help in obtaining other needed services and accessing rights

4) Collecting and organizing delivery of humanitarian aid in Ukraine

5) Providing financial assistance to lesbian* organisations in the neighboring countries or inside Ukraine.

On March 2nd, we started operating a 24/7 hotline and set up a reception system & shelters at the borders. Within 24 hours, the members of the EL*C team on the ground were picking up the first rainbow families, with their children, dog and bikes, and bringing them to safety.

Since then, we have received numerous requests for help or information, and coordinated the safe transportation and housing of refugees through our network of around 200 lesbian households ready to be hosts from all over Europe. And the network keeps growing, while the first hosts are preparing to welcome families in the Netherlands and Portugal.

With every day, we do our utmost to react swiftly and provide adapted solutions to each situation - the lesbian couples, the families with toddlers, the families with grand-parents, folks with their cats, dogs or pet rats, and everybody else that comes to us.

We spare no efforts to provide what is needed, including solutions for particular individual circumstances or medical conditions.

According to recent estimates from the United Nations, over one and half million Ukrainian refugees have already left their country, fleeing the conflict that began last week with Russia's invasion. Many more are expected to cross the borders in the coming days.

❖ DONATE on our fundraiser

❖ JOIN our hosting network by filling out this form (link )

❖ SHARE this call for support around you

❖ FOLLOW us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with our actions

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

#LGBTRefugeesWelcome

#BlackRefugeesWelcome

We want to draw your attention toward the specific situation of people of color that are having a harder time getting out of Ukraine . As EL*C we welcome all of them.