Starfish Ukraine

STARFISH UKRAINE

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BEING A HOST?

If you think you would like to host Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country please click on the link or scan the QR code below to register your interest in becoming a host. Even if you have already registered your interest with other groups please feel free to register here too.

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Ви українець, якому потрібна допомога?ARE YOU A UKRAINIAN LOOKING FOR HELP?

Ви українець, якому потрібна допомога у пошуку тимчасового житла у Великобританії? Ви знаєте українську родину, яка потребує допомоги із переїздом під час війни? Натисніть на посилання нижче або відскануйте QR-код, щоб повідомити нам свої потреби.
Are you a Ukrainian who needs assistance in finding a host in the United Kingdom? Do you know of a Ukrainian family who needs assistance in getting across? Click on the link below or scan the QR code to tell us your needs.

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Our Mission

Starfish Ukraine originated from a group of individuals, mainly from Northern Ireland, who have been involved in helping churches in Ukraine for around 20 years.  Our aim is to place people in safe, sustainable, and supportive homes in the UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

Ways you can help

  • Hosting

    If you have an interest in hosting a Ukrainian family you can register on this website.  We know many people have already signed up on the UK Government website or through another organisation to register an interest in being a host family– there is no problem registering in more than one place.
    If you are in the UK you are probably aware that the Government ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme is expected to run along two tracks. People who have a named Ukrainian contact will be processed first while those who don't have a named Ukrainian contact will potentially be paired with a family at random at a later date. Registering for the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme for a named person will be faster than waiting for the Home Office to pair hosts with Ukrainian families. This is why you can still express interest here even if you have signed up without a named person on the Government website. 
    We are currently connecting with Ukrainian refugees in order to find the best route forward for them. As you can imagine, the past few weeks have been traumatic for families who have fled Ukraine. Most of them are still deciding what they want to do in the immediate future, while still coming to terms with all that has happened. We don't want to rush anyone into deciding what is best for them to do next, and we are also sensitive to the fact that most Ukrainians are very concerned about being isolated in a new country. 
    We would just like to emphasise that we are not sure how many people will want to come here. If we don't end up finding a match for you with a named Ukrainian family, there are many other ways you can support Ukrainian refugees.

  • Fundraising

    If hosting is not a suitable option for you then you could assist the work by donating financially. There are several organisations and charities that need urgent funds in order to continue the work they are involved with helping Ukrainians in various ways.

    Go to the Get Involved page to find out more about how you can help.

  • Volunteering

    The task of helping the citizens of Ukraine does not stop when the reach a safe place to stay. It is likely that long term assistance will be required for these families as they seek to make a temporary home for themselves in a foreign country, while still wanting to keep in touch with fellow Ukrainians and those family members that may have been left behind, or went to another country.
    Through this website you can offer your services as an individual or group to offer a range of services that might be of use to Ukrainians once they are in Northern Ireland. This could be from creating meal packs, or offering a minibus service in the local area, helping with clothing, providing extra furniture for host families, give lifts to and from the airport, etc.
    If you would like to join the Starfish Ukraine team we would love to hear from you too.
    Go to the Get Involved page to find out more.

  • Supporting

    You may be in a position to be able to support Ukrainian refugees on a more professional or collective basis. You may have certain skills that would be helpful as they seek to adjust to the changing circumstances around them. Counselling, financial advice, legal support, education provision, children's work, translation services, sports clubs, etc.
    With the trauma the Ukrainian families will have experienced it is vital that additional support and help is provided for them in the short, medium and long term.
    If you feel that you, or your business or organisation, feel that there is something you can offer to help these refugees please go to the Get Involved page and send us the details.

How we have helped so far

77

families matched with hosts

402

total number of people matched with hosts






 "therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain"

 1 Corinthians 15:38


Support the work in Ukraine

There are numerous organisations raising money for the humanitarian needs in Ukraine at this time. Some of the national and international organisations are linked below, along with some more local fundraising efforts that we have close links with.

Donate now to Starfish Ukraine

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About Starfish Ukraine

A group of Christians in Northern Ireland have been going to Ukraine for the past twenty years to work with orphanages in Ukraine. They link with Ukrainian churches who co-ordinate the work in the orphanages. So the group has strong links with Ukraine and it was through the Ukrainian churches that this project all started. Initial links were established to help Ukrainians known to the churches find sponsors and hosts in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
As the conflict has gone on and more and more refugees are looking to come over to the UK and Ireland it has become apparent that a larger team was needed to help link hosts with Ukrainian families, even those not linked to churches at all. 
This website was developed to make it easier for people who want to host Ukrainians to register their interest and then the team can start finding a family who best fits the host. The website also provides a way for Ukrainians to register their needs so the team can then help them find a host.
Our team is primarily based in Northern Ireland (UK), where many of our hosts are based. We have some team members working with us in England and Scotland to whom we can direct requests for Ukrainians seeking a host in these areas. All the team members are unpaid volunteers.
Donations cannot be made directly through the website, but links to groups and charities are available so people can donate that way.

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Every starfish matters

Adapted from Loren Eiseley’s The Star Thrower
  Once upon a time, early one morning, an old man was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. The young boy paused, looked up, and replied small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”  The young boy paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”  The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”  The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. 
Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

Other agencies

There are many other teams and groups working to help Ukrainians at this time. Here are links to some other helpers who are striving to do what they can at this difficult time to help those in need.

Help for Ukraine NI Facebook Group
Samaritan's Purse
Cambridge Ukrainians and Supporters of Ukraine Facebook Group
British Red Cross Ukraine Appeal
Disaster Emergency Committee
Disaster Emergency Committee

Want to Help? Have Questions?

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