On Wednesday 9th March the Marble team attended ‘Night For Ukraine’, a fundraising event where the proceeds went to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), to support their humanitarian and emergency response work on the ground in Ukraine and at its borders, to help people fleeing the conflict.
Night For Ukraine
DEC helps provide food, shelter and medical assistance to vulnerable people in disaster zones overseas. It does this by coordinating and working with 15 leading UK charities to pool resources and raise awareness for the UK public. By coming together and speaking with one voice, DEC can deliver one strong united message and are able to raise funds quickly and effectively for the people who are the most vulnerable.
In Ukraine there are currently 18 million people who are affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war and at least 2 million have fled to other countries including Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. When these refugees arrive in another country they often have little to no items with them. Therefore, donating funds can help provide basic necessities, which can be transformative for the lives of the people affected.
“This is the beginning of Night For Ukraine – we’re looking to create a long term action to bring together the creative community, tech community and the nation at large to stand with all people affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
We all feel powerless right now, but by coming together and mobilising our creativity and energy, we can make a small difference by raising funds and awareness.” – Fabien Riggall, organiser of Night For Ukraine.
The event started with the moderator introducing Saleh Saeed, DEC Chief Executive, to address the room. He talked with passion about how our efforts in the coming years will majorly help Ukraine overcome this travesty. This was then followed by a minute of silence, in which we had time to reflect on the impact of what was happening right now.
After the pause for reflection, the acts took to the stage, each donating their time and ploughing all their creativity into supporting this great cause. The lineup included the likes of Bob Geldof, Jack Garratt, Joseph Toonga, Franz Ferdinand, Peter Xan, Yuriy Yurchuk and the London Community Gospel Choir.
A team favourite was Franz Ferdinand who really got the crowd going and the whole venue on their feet. It was amazing to see the whole crowd dancing, waving yellow sunflowers in the air. Sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine, were being sold during the event to raise further funds for DEC.
Other favourites acts of the evening included Royal Opera House singer Yuriy Yurchuk and the Bloom Twins with their emotional performance.
Interspersed between the acts there were short homemade artistic film clips depicting what it was like to be Ukrainian or were abstract representations of life in Ukraine, as well as dance acts.
It was a wholesome experience to be part of a community coming together to show our support to people who really need it at this moment.
If you want to get involved and donate, follow this link here to DEC.