Stand with Ukraine Voices for Children
We know that readers of The Week Junior find the news of the war in Ukraine upsetting and may want to do something to help people who are affected by it. Here are three simple things you can do right now that will make a positive difference and show that you care.
1 DONATE TO A CHARITY
There are many charities working to help Ukrainian people and they rely on donations to fund what they do. Every donation makes a difference. Whether it’s this week’s pocket money or the results of your fundraising efforts – it is guaranteed to go to a good cause. Here are three charities that are responding to the emergency in Ukraine (always get a parent or guardian’s permission before giving money):
Unicef
The United Nations Children’s Fund’s mission is to help “every child, everywhere”. It has launched an emergency appeal to help get essential supplies, health and hygiene services, educational and mental health support to children and families in Ukraine. Find out more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-ukraine
This charity gives support to children and families in eastern Ukraine. Its work includes art therapy (a way of helping people to express and deal with difficult experiences and emotions) and giving food and supplies to families who need them. The charity also invites children to share their experiences on video so that other people can understand how war has affected them. Find out more at voices.org.ua/en
Save the Children
Save the Children’s mission is to save children’s lives by giving them the support they need and protecting them from harm. The charity has been working in Ukraine since 2014 and has helped thousands of children since then. It provides food, clothing, medicines and washbag essentials, as well as access to education and mental health services. Find out more at savethechildren.org.uk
2 WRITE TO YOUR MP
Members of Parliament (MPs) represent everyone living in their constituency (area). Writing a letter to your MP is a quick and easy way to let them know about things that you are worried about and that you’d like them to talk about in Parliament. If you’d like the UK Government to do more to help the people of Ukraine and bring the war to an end, make sure your MP knows about it. Here’s how to contact them:
Find your MP
If you don’t know who your MP is, you can find out their name and the name of your constituency by entering your postcode on this webpage tinyurl.com/twj-find-MP
Write your letter
We’ve provided a template here to help you – but if you would prefer to write it in your own words then go ahead. MPs get hundreds of letters every day so the main thing is to keep yours short and easy to read. Make sure you write clearly – if you have messy handwriting it might be a good idea to type it instead. You can download a template for the letter and the poster (right) from theweekjunior.co.uk/activityhub
Put it in the post Address the letter to your MP at: House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. Make sure you include your MP’s name and a stamp.