On Local Matters this week, we don’t take the term “local” that seriously. After having reported quite a bit on the refugees who’ve arrived in Luxembourg from Ukraine, this week, we have a look abroad to see how other regions manage to support the Ukrainians and we discover some initiatives.

Today, our guest is Maryna Bludsha. She is the communications manager of the NGO U-Cycle and responsible for the campaign #BikesForUkraine. The campaign distributes bicycles to the people, mainly the volunteers and social workers, in Ukraine. Maryna says: “During the Russian war against Ukraine a bicycle has become the life-saver. Not working public transportation, ruined infrastructure, lack of fuel. In many areas of Ukraine a bicycle is the only mobility option for the delivery of humanitarian aid, mobility of volunteers, medical personnel, social workers, etc.” U-Cycle, together with five other NGOs in Ukraine, has launched the campaign in May and after delivering nearly 600 bikes, they receive more and more requests by volunteer organisations. To date, 1344 bicycles are needed. Many companies and cycling communities from around the globe have already donated, but donations of bicycles and money are still needed.

There are three ways to help:

donate money for the purchase of bicycles in Ukraine https://u-cycle.org.ua/projects/bikesforukraine/
if you are part of a cycling community, get in touch with U-Cycle, get your crowd moving, gather bikes and get them to Ukraine. If you need logistic support, U-Cycle can connect you to other organisations
gather some bikes, spare parts, locks, etc. of your friends, neighbors, colleagues and cousins, get a van and bring them to Brussels. Time and place for drop-off are announced on this website: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/ukraine/we-collect-bikesforukraine_en

Photo: U-Cycle