Two of the UK’s leading Financial Planners have launched a new campaign to help Ukrainian refugees who fled to Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe.
The campaign is being spearheaded by Financial Planners Phil Billingham and Shannon Currie of Perceptive Planning, based in London and Essex, and David Crozier of Navigator Financial Planning in Northern Ireland.
They have called the fund raising drive: Operation ‘Help the Refugees’ – Part 2.
This campaign will specifically collect funds and supplies for 100,000+ refugees facing long term isolation in Moldova where resources to support them are limited.
The planners, along with Stephen Gallagher, drove several tons of aid to Poland to help the Ukrainian refugees in March and April and now want planners, and others in financial services, to back their new campaign to help Ukrainian refugees isolated in Moldova.
Many in the Financial Planning profession have donated in the past to the first campaign along with others in financial services, clients and local children. Over £30,000 was raised or donated in goods.
The planners said: “Since our return from Poland, we have become increasingly concerned with the impact on Moldova – the poorest country in Europe, outside of the EU, and with a long border with Ukraine.
“We identified that www.refugeessupporteu.com had acted swiftly and had opened a ‘Dignity Centre’ in Chisinau (the capital of Moldova). Some of the ‘spare’ money collected was donated to them, followed by Phil and Shannon visiting Chisinau to see the Dignity Centre in May, as well as the umbrella organisation in Moldova, called ‘Moldova for Peace’. https://moldova.travel/en/moldova-pentru-pace/
Phil Billingham told Financial Planning Today: “We’ve seen the war on our TVs daily and we’re all wondering what more we can do to help. The numbers are overwhelming but this is about providing life-changing help to a relatively small number of people but really making a difference to their lives. Any help given goes from your hands to our hands to their hands. We would support giving to the big charities too but if you want to do something where you can point to where you made a difference this is it.”
“What they need is medical supplies so hopefully we can send a container-full. We’re then going to fly out and do some driving for them and help support the volunteers. Spending time with the volunteers there is really motivational and we know it’s appreciated as some volunteers there feel neglected.”
Paul Hutchings, co-founder of Refugees Support, which set up the ‘Dignity Centre’ in Chisinau, said: “We are completely reliant on individuals to fund the supplies and could not continue without the generous support of good people around the world.”
This is a video about their work: https://www.refugeesupporteu.com/a-look-at-chisinau-dignity-centre/
Since the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine in March the volunteers say the need for aid has moved from nappies and sleeping bags to “long term, sustainable support.” That includes disability aids for the elderly, driven from their homes, living on the kindness of strangers in Moldova, but with limited spare resources.
What can you do?
- Donate directly through the links given
- Donate to the appeal – see links below
- Help Phil and David source wheelchairs, walking aids and so forth – please email.
- Go to Moldova and see what they are doing, spend money in the economy, volunteer, help in some way
- Find other ways to support those who are needing the support – there are other routes eg national campaigns such as the DEC.
To donate to the Financial Planners Ukrainian Refugees Appeal, just click this link or scan the QR code
Contact:
Phil Billingham on 07778709613 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
David Crozier on 079 6814 2532 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
