Some 50.3% of Lithuanians have donated money or found other ways to help Ukraine, according to a recent poll commissioned by the Baltic News Service (BNS).
Published on March 29, the survey found that 29% of respondents donated money through non-governmental organizations, 15.7% donated various goods, as well as provided accommodation and contributed in other ways. Meanwhile, 5.6% of respondents have given both financial and other material support.
Another 49.4% of respondents said they had provided no aid to Ukraine.
The results showed the same support across all demographics. People with higher incomes contributed in more varied ways, according to the data.
“It’s very clear: half of the people care and the other half don’t,” said Jonas Ohman, head of the Blue/Yellow NGO in Lithuania that had been one of the largest recipients of aid. The organization has been helping Ukrainian troops since the beginning of the war in Donbass. “For reasons I don’t understand, half of the people in Lithuania don’t see Russia as a threat.”
Blue/Yellow has raised around 19 million euros in donations since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine on February 24, according to Ohman.
“This isn’t enough, because this is a serious war,” he said. “Requests keep coming to us. We’re supplying troops with very serious things.”
Some 90% of donations come from Lithuania, according to Ohman. The money is used to buy medical supplies, bulletproof vests, all-terrain vehicles and other equipment for Ukrainian troops.
People in Lithuania have also been donating to animal welfare NGOs, including Tusti Narvai (Empty Cages), which has raised over 25,000 euros so far.
“We need much more help for Ukraine, but on the other hand, we have received a very large amount of money in a very short time,” Gabriele Vaitkeviciute, head of the organization, said.
“Other organizations in Lithuania are also collecting, so that makes around 130,000 euros in total,” she added.
Around 900 people have donated to the organization, which saw huge interest on the first day of its fundraising campaign.
“People donated over 6,000 euros when we launched the campaign,” Vaitkeviciute said.
The funds are transferred to an animal welfare NGO in Ukraine that cooperates with other organizations. The money is then used to buy food for the animals or take them out of the war zone, including to other countries. (LRT/Business World Magazine)