GLOBAL, 2 March, 2022 – Cryptocurrency donations are bolstering Save the Children’s efforts to help families worst impacted by the Ukraine crisis with experts expecting the escalating crisis to see the largest inflow of alternative funding for any emergency to date. 

Save the Children’s initial $19 million emergency Ukraine appeal includes crypto contributions that can be made via the aid organisation’s crypto donation page.   

Save the Children currently accepts more than 60 types of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), USD Coin (USDC), Cardano (ADA) and even Dogecoin (DOGE). To restrict donations to Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, crypto donors can dynamically generate a crypto wallet address to the page, state the amount they wish to send and include “for Ukraine” in the “Donation Notes” field.^[i]

Ukraine’s 7.5 million children are caught in the middle of this conflict and face grave risk of direct harm, displacement, family separation, trauma, loss of family income and prolonged interruption of their education due to the escalation in Russian military operations. 

The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine is rising quickly and has already reached 660,000, according to the United Nations refugee agency. The funds raised will support Save the Children in scaling up their response in the Ukraine, Poland and Romania as well as other European countries.   

Ettore Rossetti, Lead Advisor for Digital/Marketing/Innovation Partnerships at Save the Children US, said:  

“Crypto donations have enabled truly borderless giving and is not only decentralising finance but also decentralising philanthropy. By donating crypto, you HODL^[ii] hope for children. Crypto has become the biggest alternative funding stream for global emergencies like Ukraine and we are also accepting crypto proceeds from NFT^[iii] projects.”  

Save the Children was the world’s first international Non-Governmental Organisation to accept a bitcoin donation in 2013 in response to Typhoon Haiyan that struck Southeast Asia, devastating the Philippines. Last year, Save the Children was able to raise more than $5 million in crypto donations through their successful #HODLHOPE campaign, which is now being extended to their Ukraine appeal.  

Save the Children has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, delivering essential humanitarian aid to children and their families. This includes supporting their access to education, providing psychosocial support, distributing winter kits and hygiene kits, and providing cash grants to families so they can meet basic needs such as food, rent and medicines, or so they can invest in new businesses.   

The Children Emergency Fund allows Save the Children to respond wherever the need is greatest to reach children quickly with the essentials they need to survive.