Only days after launching their fundraiser, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have raised almost $19 million for Ukraine through GoFundMe and the donations are continuing to come in.
As per Daily Mail, Kunis took to Twitter to congratulate her followers after they surpassed the mid-way mark of the fundraiser48-hours after it was launched, which aims to raise $30 million to support relief efforts for Ukranian refugees.
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“15 million… Halfway there wanted you to meet the people who are helping make it happen,” Kunis tweeted.
The actress also uploaded a video alongside her husband in which the couple thanked their followers for donating. In the video, they introduce two representatives from Flexport and Airbnb, who are helping distribute the proceeds raised in the fundraiser.
Ryan Peterson, the founder of Flexport, explained the one of the “biggest problems” in humanitarian relief is coordinating when and how to distribute resources. He explains they’ve partnered with an array of aid organizations, including UNICEF and the United Nations, to make it happen.
“We’re shipping medical supplies,” he said. “All sorts of things like baby wipes and diapers, stuff you wouldn’t imagine that they need out there,” adding the first shipments had left on March 6th.
Bryan Chesty of Airbnb then explained how his company would be helping provide housing for up to 100,000 Ukranian refugees. “More than 1 million people in Ukraine have now fled,” he explained. “The big question is where are they going to stay. Well, our host community can actually house them.”
Airbnb is working with hosts in neighbouring countries, including Germany, Poland, and Hungary, to provide housing.
Earlier this week reported that Kutcher and Kunis announced their fundraising initiative last Thursday in a video posted to Kutcher’s Instagram account. In a video, the couple said they would match donations of up to $3 million, though the GoFundMe campaign is hoping to reach at least $30 million. As of publication, the campaign has raised over $18.7 million.
In the clip, Kunis opened up about being born in the Ukraine before immigrating to the U.S. in childhood. “I came to America in 1991. I have always considered myself an American, a proud American,” she explained. “I love everything that this country has done for myself and my family. But today I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian.”
Kutcher and Kunis donated $3 million shortly after the fundraiser passed that mark. The first donation was made by venture capitalist and philanthropist Ron Conway’s family, and totalled $2.5 million.
You can visit the GoFundMe campaign here.
Sources: Daily Mail, Twitter @milakunisv, GoFundMe,
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