For the past four months, I have worked day and night evacuating women and children from Ukraine.
The Financial Times spent two weeks following my daily efforts and as I told journalist Caroline Overmeer of the stories of heroism, horror, death and hope, Caroline said to me “Martina, I have a book to write, not an article”.
Whilst this is just a tiny snapshot of what we’ve been up to since the 24th February, the work is ongoing; my team and I have had worked around the clock bringing 5,500 women and children to safety and it is critical that everyone recognises the sheer amount of work that still needs to be done, by us all. We must support Ukrainian businesses and creators, we must give employment to Ukrainians in search of work, we must keep Ukrainian businesses alive. We must all do our part in making Ukrainian refugees welcome.
In Vienna, we’ve been working with Train of Hope. Train of Hope works to help those who have just arrived or have already received asylum in Austria, by providing them with clothing, furniture and other household contents as well as helping them to network, find language courses, educational measures and support in their job or housing search. They also provide leisure activities and have been a wonderful resource to lean into for our refugees who have found themselves in Austria.
This Financial Times article follows our efforts to save the lives of women, children and the eldery who have been affected by Putin’s invasion.
Read the full article here
So far, we have raised over €5,000,000 and with the continuous atrocities happening in Ukraine, there’s an increasing urgency to provide support with innovative and fast-paced approaches. With that said I would like to announce that with my husband as CEO, and in partnership with eight leading European entrepreneurs we have launched an NGO, OneUkraine. Together, as OneUkraine, we have pooled our skills and resources to provide humanitarian relief for the Ukrainian people at scale, speed and efficiency.
OneUkraine has three main pillars, the first, the evacuation of women and children from Ukraine, the second, sending medical aid to Ukraine and the third, the reconstruction of Ukraine.
We urge you to check out our NGO and share with your networks. We are united in fighting for Ukrainian lives, its economy and its rightful independence. We need your support, do not ignore the reality outside of your home.
I thank the many people who have approached me and offered their support, their homes and donating to Mademoiselle Martina Org and One Ukraine.
Photographer Irna Gavrich
Follow us on Instagram to see the continuation of our efforts: @mademoisellemartina_org, @oneukrainengo