An update from our partner, ShelterBox

At Together Rising, we believe that communities and individuals in crisis are the experts on what they need. 

So while carefully searching for, vetting, and selecting our partners on the ground, one of the most important values we consider is how well they listen to the communities they serve, and adapt their response based on what the communities say they need.

We always strive to invest in partners who listen keenly and respond accordingly, which is especially crucial now as the needs of families and children fleeing from and remaining in Ukraine continue to change rapidly day-to-day.

Our partner, ShelterBox, has six team members on the ground right now in Poland, where nearly two million refugees have fled since the horrific attacks on Ukraine began.

Just last week, their team met directly with refugees at a train station on the border of Ukraine and Poland, as shown by the first four photos. Their team heard directly from families and children about what types of emergency shelter and essential aid items would help them most, and now has a deeper understanding of how to best support refugees escaping Ukraine at large.

The last two photos show the ShelterBox team working within a humanitarian aid logistics cluster at a hotel in Kraków, Poland. They are working alongside several other aid organizations, including the United Nations.

Every penny of the $200,000 we’ve invested in ShelterBox will be deployed urgently and effectively based on their response approach – after listening directly to refugees, and adapting to their needs on the ground – including providing coats and blankets to keep warm as the temperature drops below freezing at night.  

As always, we will continue to share how the incredible $2,194,617.38 that you have invested in response to the attacks on Ukraine is making an impact on the ground for families and children whose lives have been shattered by this crisis.

Photo Credit: ShelterBox