LegalCrowd, an Amsterdam-based platform specifically aimed at crowdfunding for lawsuits, announced that it has joined hands with Pro Bono Connect and the Amsterdam Law Hub to help Ukrainian refugees.
The trio has started a crowdfunding campaign on the LegalCrowd platform and the collected money will be used to provide Ukrainian refugees with legal and humanitarian aid.
LegalCrowd aims to raise €2,500 to provide 100 refugees with necessary legal aid. At the time of writing this article, €529 was collected.
Funds to go to UNHCR
The Dutch platform says 100 per cent of the donations will go to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) minus a small amount per donation charged by the payment service provider.
The UNHCR is on the ground and is continuously working to provide assistance (legal aid, shelter, and security) to the most vulnerable people.
“The current situation in Ukraine is one of the biggest human rights crises in Europe. We want to support the citizens of Ukraine in a way that is in line with our corporate mission. With LegalCrowd we support positive legal actions that improve access to justice. We have chosen to raise money for the UNHCR, which also provides legal assistance to refugees. We believe that access to legal support will be essential for Ukrainian refugees arriving abroad,” says Team LegalCrowd.
To date, approximately 2M people have fled their homes due to the ongoing war and many families and children are looking for safety and protection.
“In 40 years I have rarely seen an exodus at this rate of people fleeing violence,” says Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Explaining the donations, LegalCrowd says, “By donating, UNHCR can continue to provide life-saving protection. For example, with your donation of €25, a refugee can already receive legal help. The money can also be used for emergency shelter, relief supplies, or health care. For example, a donation of €200 can also provide life-saving healthcare for 11 people.”
Other developments
The Crypto community has officially launched the ‘Aid for Ukraine‘ website on Tuesday to aid Ukraine’s military and humanitarian needs through cryptocurrency. The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, FTX, and Everstake.
Earlier this month, MessageBird, an Amsterdam-based cloud communications platform launched MessageBird.org, a company NGO fund of $10M (approx €8.92M).
Further, the founders of the three biggest Dutch ‘unicorns’ – Ali Niknam of bunq, Joris Beckers of Picnic, and MessageBird Founder and CEO Robert Vis, launched a private NGO called ‘People for People’ to help those in Ukraine.
