Opinion: Five Ways You Can Help Ukraine Win

1. Tell Others About Ukraine: The war has lasted for 17 months so far and Ukraine is not as central to global news as it was before. Tell others - your friends, colleagues, and neighbors - why supporting Ukraine is important to you, and how they can help. An easy means of doing this is to wear a Ukraine pin or shirt in public to trigger a conversation with others, or to share interesting and upbeat pro-Ukrainian content on social media so that all of your contacts see where you stand in this war against Russian imperialism and genocide.

2. Support Ukrainians in Your Community: Several million Ukrainians have been forced to flee the war. Though there are public organizations helping them, it is the human touch that gives quality. Often, local Ukrainian churches and social organizations host cook-outs, fundraisers, raffles, and other events where you can become involved and show the Ukrainian community how strongly you support them. It is important to show Ukrainian refugees they are not alone!

3. Buy Ukrainian-Made Products: Ukraine exports a number of products that you can find everywhere: Groceries, clothes, household and personal care products, medicine, sunflower oil, and other food products. If you struggle to find Ukrainian-made products, take a look at what Ukraine produces and ask your local stores if they would consider importing and selling those products. By doing this you can have an even bigger impact and perhaps lead others to buying Ukrainian-made products. Ukrainian horilka is better than Russian vodka anyways!

4. Boycott Russia: Buying goods made in Russia is tantamount to supporting the Russian Federation in its genocidal war against Ukraine as it indirectly gives more tax dollars to the Kremlin to buy armaments to attack Ukraine. One person not buying Russian vodka will not change the war, but a few dozen people writing to their local supermarket asking them to stop selling Russian-made products could cause hundreds or thousands of pallets of Russian products to not be imported to your country. We can all contribute to chipping away at the Russian war machine, and boycotting Russian-made products is an effective way to do this.

5. Contribute to Charities: There are many worthy charities helping Ukraine. Some are helping the Ukrainian military get new equipment, others are helping Ukrainian refugees, and yet others are providing psychological treatment to children affected by the war. If you select a well-established charity, you can sleep well knowing that people in Ukraine will live better thanks to your actions.