The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has now entered its third month, and as accounts of unspeakable violence have continued to mount, millions of people have uprooted their families to flee to safety.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Council, since February 24 an estimated 5.1 million Ukrainians have left their homes. Most of the migrants are currently living in surrounding countries like Poland, Romania and Hungary.
But as the war rolls on, these families are now going to need to find more permanent places to call home and getting there may be a challenge financially.
In an effort to help them make it safely to their new homes, Lonely Planet and The Points Guy are together launching a campaign to help Miles4Migrants.
A 501(c)(3) charity, the organization partners with other nonprofits to identify refugees, asylees, asylum-seekers, and their immediate family members who have legal approval to travel, but cannot afford airfare. The organization uses donated frequent flyer miles to help those impacted by war, persecution, or disaster make it to their new homes.
The donations from this campaign could help a family anywhere in the world with a concentration right now on the need of families fleeing Ukraine.
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From now until May 25, Lonely Planet and The Points Guy will match each donation up to $5,000 for a total of $10,000 pledged by our two organizations.
As a company, we ran a similar campaign to help refugees fleeing Afghanistan and we know that 500 people (143 families) from Afghanistan and several other places worldwide received flights to safety directly due to the generous donations of our readers.
Miles4Migrants uses airline miles to help those impacted by war, persecution or disaster make it to their new homes. © SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
How do I donate
Go to our donation page to pledge your support. You can do so in the form of:
Frequent flyer miles
Credit card points
Travel vouchers/credit
Cryptocurrency
Money
Appreciated stock
Miles4Migrants will then match you with a migrant who needs a flight. From there, either Miles4Migrants will use your miles to book the flight or they will walk you through booking the flight for the individual if your miles are restrictive
You can see a video about how the whole process works here.
What if I don’t have miles to donate? Can I donate cash?
Absolutely. Donating cash is a huge help to the organization. Even though the flights are booked with miles, the organization still has to pay airline fees to secure the reservation. Cash donations help them cover those costs which the organization estimates cost about $33.80 per person.
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The post Ukrainian migrants need help getting to their new homes – here’s how you can help
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