Additional Support Needed For Ukrainian Port Workers and their Families

A few months ago, IAPH and The Seafarers’ Charity initiated an emergency appeal to support Ukrainian port workers and their families, who since the start of the invasion have been on the frontline of the conflict. The situation has since then only deteriorated.

The port cities of Mariupol, Berdyansk, and Kherson have fallen and Black Sea ports like Odesa remain under continuous threat. Meanwhile, port workers are making relentless efforts to organize grain exports from the Danube ports to alleviate global food shortages. Our campaign has so far yielded USD 18,877.50.

This initial sum will be made available to the Maritime Transport Workers Trade Union of Ukraine (MTWTU) and its welfare fund Mortrans to provide relief to port workers and their families. We are grateful to all those who contributed to our campaign thus far. Still, the sum collected to date is very modest compared to the actual needs on the ground. That is why we strongly encourage you to make a generous donation on a corporate and/or personal basis.

Donations will be administered and overseen by The Seafarers’ Charity, a grant funder that has embedded and well-established governance mechanisms and processes for monitoring and evaluation to ensure efficiency and transparency. All donors will receive a copy of the impact report produced at the end of the year to show where the funds have been spent. We thank you wholeheartedly for your generous support in helping Ukrainian port workers and their families.

The Maritime Transport Workers Trade Union of Ukraine is a member of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and its chairman, Oleg Grygoriuk, is an IMO Goodwill Ambassador. The trade union recently published reports on 100 days of the war in Ukraine and the union’s activities under martial law.

Reference: IAPH