Thread by @rosehayden121

I've seen lot of kind generous people organising and donating goods to support #Ukraine. Theres something that feels very 'real' & immediate about buying a pack of nappies or tin of infant formula and thinking of it being put to good use, however (yes I'm afraid its a thread) 1/

its unfortunately the case that donating goods rather than funds can cause great difficulties in a time of humanitarian crisis, as seen in Haiti in 2010 2/

nytimes.com/2010/01/15/wor…

@irishredcross set out some of the issues that can arise here 3/

redcross.ie/wp-content/upl…

So how to ensure help gets where its needed? Red Cross is the worlds largest humanitarian aid organisation @ifrc with millions of volunteers in 197 countries including the @RedCrossUkraine 4/

The value of the Red Cross network is that with national societies directly in place on the ground and an international network, aid can get from any country right to where it's needed safely. So a donation to @irishredcross or @BritishRedCross goes safely to @RedCrossUkraine 5/

The Red Cross movement is guided by its Fundamental Principles and has special responsibility regarding the #GenevaConventions & International Humanitarian Law in times of war 6/

redcross.ie/programmes-and…

You've likely guessed by now that I'm a passionate life-long Red Cross volunteer. I won't say how many decades its been so far, but its been my privilege to wear the same emblem as my colleagues in @RedCrossUkraine and throughout the world 7/

More recently it has been my great honour to serve on the board of the Irish Red Cross, a board comprising entirely of volunteers, supporting the essential work of Red Cross volunteers through the pandemic 8/

A motivator for donating goods over funds is often the very legitimate concern regarding corporate governance & security of funds, which is why donating to a long established registered charity with transparent reporting of funds usage is essential 9/

redcross.ie/about-us/chari…

So how can you donate? @RedCrossUkraine appeal is here redcross.org.ua/donate/ or you can donate to the @irishredcross #Ukraine appeal here 10/

redcross.ie/latest-appeals…

or if you use @RevolutApp you can donate to Red Cross direct within the app with 100% of donations going to Red Cross support in #Ukraine 11/

blog.revolut.com/the-war-on-ukr…

or you can book a ticket to @iwla_ie's fundraiser with 100% of proceeds to Red Cross support in #Ukraine 12/

eventbrite.ie/e/fair-feared-…

This is my very first Twitter thread. If you made it this far thanks for sticking with me and I hope you found something useful in it. #Ukraine 13/END