Since the outbreak of open war in Ukraine, members of GEN Europe and its National Networks and ecovillages have been in close and regular contact with representatives from GEN Ukraine, a dynamic and passionate network of ecovillages and other eco-projects in the country. On this page, learn about their initiatives to support refugees, read and listen to voices from Ukrainian ecovillages and give your support to ecovillage initiatives giving hope in the darkest of times.
Ecovillage to Ecovillage Solidarity
Resilience and solidarity are at the core of the ecovillage concept: nonetheless, we have been truly amazed by the coordination and offers of support shown with great speed from ecovillages both within and outside the country. We have received hundreds offers of accommodation from communities and friends across Europe, and a team of country coordinators has been working to help people seeking safety find places to stay, rest, or travel to, and compiling country-specific information packs. If your community can host refugees, please fill out this form.
The Green Road: Ecovillages for Peace
A ‘green road‘ of ecovillages and eco-settlements large and small has been created and coordinated by members of GEN Ukraine and Permaculture Ukraine to offer shelter to those who have had to flee their homes. Some may stay just a night or a few days while they move towards the border; others have chosen to stay in the communities that have welcomed them and adapt to a new rural life.
These spaces are also places for volunteers to rest and recharge from their urgent and draining humanitarian work. Ecovillages are now hosting around 2000 individuals: an astonishing figure and testament to the work of volunteers who have refurbished or built new living spaces, transported aid, food and people, coordinated requests for help, and so much more.
To learn more about the Green Road, visit GEN Ukraine’s website.
Donate
We have to date raised almost EUR 40.000 from generous donations that are directly and fully transferred to GEN Ukraine for humanitarian aid, food, and ecovillage infrastructure as communities welcome ever more refugees and aim to increase their resilience and food security. If you wish to add your support, you can make a bank transfer to the following details, or find our Paypal and Stripe details on this page. Please ensure you note GEN Ukraine as a reference to your donation.
GEN Europe
Keyword Ukraine
Postbank Berlin, bank code 10010010,
Account no. 7681105
IBAN: DE11 1001 0010 0007 6811 05
BIC: PBNKDEFF
Voices from the ecovillages
Letters from Ukraine
The President of the Ukrainian network, Maksym Zalevskyi, has been sharing moving letters from the ground, documenting the daily reality, challenges, frustrations and hope found in coordinating and resettling refugees fleeing from the ongoing atrocities. Read his letters here, with thanks to GEN Ukraine volunteers in Denmark for translation.
Letter 1: Faith in the Future | Letter 2: To Go or Stay? | Letter 3: Just Focus | Letter 4: Gratitude | Letter 5: Displacement or Compression | Letter 6: Black and White Days | Letter 7: The Magic of Support | Letter 8: Dead or Not Dead (Part 1) | Letter 9: Dead or Not Dead (Part 2) | Letter 10: Dead or Not Dead (Part 3)
Podcast
GEN EU board member Steffen Emrich is interviewing members of GEN Ukraine on the ground as they explain the reality of the situation. Listen here.
Statements from GEN Ukraine and Russian Ecovillages
In the early days of the conflict, members from Ukraine and Russia sent messages that they have requested we share. We thank our brave members from both countries for speaking out and for the work they are doing to keep people safe and promote peace.
Message from GEN Ukraine
Good afternoon, GEN Europe!
We, the community of Ukrainian ecovillages, appeal to you for your support!
Our country is on fire. Under the pretext of the liberation of Donbas, the aggressor from Russia captured our country.
We are resisting and asking you to take to the streets in all cities and countries to defend our freedom and democracy.
We need your informational support and indifference.
We have become a frontier of democracy surrounded by two bloody dictators, Putin and Lukashenko, who drowned their countries in blood and lies and now want to drown ours.
Millions of Ukrainians have become refugees today. If you have any space you can share with us, please, let us know. You can significantly help us survive in this surrealistic situation by offering a place to stay.
Let us know if you have any places to be offered, and we would appreciate it a lot!
We ask for your support in protest against this unjust war. And we hope to finish it soon.
We desire peace!
Message from Russian Ecovillagers Against the Invasion
Dear GEN-Europe, dear members of European ecovillages.
24th of February the Russian state decided to start a military invasion of Ukraine. Until now Ukrainian people are dying, being injured, fleeing their homes. It is a terrible tragedy and we, members of the antiwar group “Russian ecovillagers against the invasion of Ukraine”, declare our full disagreement with this decision and feel deep empathy towards all the victims of this aggression.
The reasons why we decided to unite in this antiwar group are the following. First of all, we don’t want to hide facts of partly support of the invasion by people in our country including ecovillages and kin domains. Unfortunately, these people are quite aggressive, abuse people with antiwar opinions, see them as betrayers of the homeland. Secondly, the state wants to totally censor our public statements and persecute for the resistance against the war. Thirdly, the situation doesn’t let us make common decisions inside any existing communities and unions.
Our group peacefully resist the violence and lies against Ukraine.
Best wishes,
Group “Russian ecovillagers against the invasion of Ukraine”
rusecoagainstwar@gmail.com
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