“Bulgaria for Ukraine: BG4UA”, a platform in support of the Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria, has launched a donation campaign for providing Ukrainians in the country with basic needs. The initiative was announced on March 9 during a special event, organized by MOVE.BG in support of Ukraine.
The campaign aims to raise at least BGN 250 000 (EUR128 000) until March 31. Everyone can back the initiative via donations here. The funds will be used for supporting the Ukrainians in Bulgaria with basic needs such as food and medicines. The campaign is run in partnership with BCause Foundation (Platformata.bg).
A special board with members from the innovation community will manage the donations and oversee the implementation of the funds, ensuring transparency. Sasha Bezuhanova, founder of MOVE.BG, is part of the board.
“We are all praying for this nightmare to stop and for us to be able to start the recovery of Ukraine, but we are still far from it. Today we need to help the Ukrainian people and express our position and solidarity,” Sasha Bezuhanova has said.
“Bulgaria for Ukraine: BG4UA” is a project of the Bulgarian innovation community that helps Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria with accommodation and other forms of support. It also helps Ukrainians who want to escape the war by moving to Bulgaria, The platform was launched in the first hours after the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine and launched a full-scale war against the country. MOVE.BG is a partner of “Bulgaria for Ukraine”.
In the next paragraphs, you can find the entire message of the BG4UA donation campaign. You can also support the initiative here.
Supporting Ukrainian people
“BG4UA is an initiative of Bulgaria-based entrepreneurs, tech community members, and friends of Ukraine in support of the Ukrainians running away from the terror of war.
We started the initiative on the first day of the war. We began with the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens, who choose Bulgaria as a temporary home. We put up a platform that attracted 3000 volunteers - people and organisations from all over Bulgaria, who offer their houses, voluntary work, and support of critical goods and services. We built up a volunteers-based call centre that accommodates and supports Ukrainians in their first moments in Bulgaria.
Now, together with BCause Foundation, we’re launching a donations campaign because more Ukrainians will need our compassion. Our goal is to provide the most human acceptance of refugees from Ukraine and to give them a fair chance for a start in Bulgaria.
The donations will be used for the following:
- Provision of critical services - evacuation transportation, accommodation and settling-in, legal support, medical services, psychological support, or other;
- Provision of critical goods - food, clothes, medicines, daily expenses, or others;
- Research of refugee needs & available services, and setting up processes & systems that will enable the provision of sustainable support.
The initiative is led by a Board of Initiators and is actively supported by the organisations they represent & thousands of volunteers. Decisions on allocating the donations will be taken in unanimity by the Board of initiators:
- Elina Zheleva, CEO launchlabs Sofia (Studio for business redesign and innovations);
- Max Gurvits, CEO Vitosha Venture Partners (VC fund for early-stage innovation startups);
- Sasha Bezuhanova, Chairperson of MOVE.bg (Platform for social transformation, digital innovation, and green life);
- Ilia Krastev, Chairperson of AIBEST (Association for innovation, business excellence, services, and technology);
- Dobromir Ivanov, Chairperson of BESCO (Bulgarian Startup Association);
- Evgeny Angelov, Chairperson of BVCA (Bulgarian Venture Capital Association).
The companies and organisations, represented by the initiators will support the initiative with pro bono services and expertise. The Board of initiators will donate in their name the management expenses of BCause Foundation. The Board of initiators has set the goal at BGN 250 000 (EUR 128K) and can manage donations up to BGN 1M (EUR 511K).”
Support the BG4UA donation campaign here.
MOVE.BG has summarized for you in one place links to various campaigns and bank accounts in aid of Ukraine and its people - see them in our special article here.
