Young Ukrainians looking to unite Manitoba’s grassroots efforts

Group of young Ukrainians came together to give Manitobans a simple yet impactful online resource on how to help stop war in Ukraine.

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Since the full scale invasion of Ukraine started two weeks ago, grassroots movements in support have only been increasing within the Manitoba community. Over ten thousand people have shown up to the demonstrations in the last two weeks to show their support of Ukraine. Many have said that Manitoba feels united, for what feels like, the first time in years.

Manitoba Helps Ukraine was started after the Feb 27 demonstration at the Legislative building in Winnipeg, after a number of young Ukrainians, students, and Manitobans gathered simply looking to help in a more organized way.

Though emotions were running high at the gathering, and it was difficult not to talk over each other, the young activists all agreed on what to do next.

“We knew what the problem was - it was not a lack of ways, but it was the overwhelming number of ways to help. A truly North American problem of being spoiled for choice.” says Andriy Rudnyk.

“We all agreed that we needed to provide Manitobans an easy to use, high quality resource, that would not overwhelm them Manitobans.”

Our goal is to provide simple yet impactful online resources around Ukrainian aid.

“We agreed on three main areas of help: financial, political, and informational support, and that we wanted to provide few high quality options for these areas.”

Currently this informational website highlights 3 distinct sources for donations (direct military aid, and two humanitarian options), a template for a letter to your MP, as well as informational channels to get up to date news on the Ukraine Russia war.

“So far the initiative has raised over $15K dollars, but we understand that this is a drop in the bucket”


From Andriy Rudnyk, one of the organizers: 

My family moved from Ukraine to Canada in 2006, and but much like any other Ukrainian family, this war affected us here as well. 

My father was a small business owner for his whole life. When the Orange Revolution happened in 2004, he closed his business and went to Kyiv to protest the rigged presidential elections. When Euromaidan happened during the winter of 2014, my uncle was protesting through the months of December, January and February, until he had to leave for a family matter on Feb 17, just one day before the riot police started using live rounds, which eventually resulted in over 100 people dead, and over 1000 injured.

My grandfather died in the Fall of 2015 and at that time Ukraine was in an intense fighting in the Donbas region, and extremely underequipped at the time. The global Ukrainian community was trying to supply and help the troops on the front lines.

When my father was flying to Ukraine for his fathers funeral in 2015, his suitcase was not packed with gifts to console his brother or nephews and nieces, but it was full of donations, two-way radios, tactical gloves, and socks to be donated to a front line soldier, a friend.

These were small daily tragedies for us, but there are currently 40 million much grimmer stories unfolding before us, all tied to Ukraine’s modern struggle for independence. And perhaps this struggle for independence is what shapes so much of the Ukrainian collective psyche. Fierce independence and self-reliance.

Certainly seems to be true for my family, where my father has been an independent small business owner his whole life, and also bestowed that independence and self reliance onto me.

Right after the Soviet collapse of the early 90s, when my parents were doing their best to raise a growing family, starting a business seemed like the only way to survive and make a living. After my family moved from Ukraine to Canada in 2006, my father started his own construction business as soon as he could.

While helping Manitoba Helps Ukraine organize & direct help on a grassroots level, my uncle who is currently in Winnipeg set an example once again for me. Same uncle who stood at Euromaidan in 2014.

My uncle, alongside his Ukrainian coworkers reached out to his current employer, a large construction company asking for financial support. Thankfully, God bless them, he was received with wide open arms and a generous donation. The most encouraging thing about this war has been seeing the incredible unity we are all capable of.”

The group has decided to use this opportunity to begin reaching out to businesses and business owners I know asking for financial help via Mbhelpsukraine.ca Over the next weeks, Andriy and others from Manitoba Helps Ukraine are planning to actively reach out to the Manitoba business community to fundraise in the efforts to unify support.

“I ask anybody, who’s able to help, in any way, financially, politically or informational, to visit mbhelpsukraine.ca”

Manitoba Helps Ukraine does not take any proceeds and directs website visitors straight to their chosen organizations and resources.