Aotearoa’s creative industry launches new ‘MANAAKI UKRAINE’ campaign to help Ukraine now
Aotearoa’s creative industry today is launching a campaign – MANAAKI UKRAINE- calling on businesses in the creative sector to support their colleagues in Eastern Europe, as the Ukrainian refugee crisis continues to grow. TORO and AMO Group founder Sam Witters, and the team led by screen sector specialist Felicity Letcher, were instrumental in the 2020 ‘Your Creative Business Can Happen Now’ campaign, supporting creative industries through the impact of Covid by enabling collaboration to bring projects to New Zealand’s regional areas.
Now they are turning this collaborative spirit to the MANAAKI UKRAINE campaign – Aotearoa’s creative businesses helping Ukraine now.
Please see examples of the creative assets for reference.
Witters was confronted by the enormity of the challenges faced by Ukrainian refugees entering Poland, after contacting friend and colleague –Izabella Wiley who is general manager and senior vice president, Central Eastern Europe at entertainment group A&E Networks EMEA, based in Poland, to see if the TORO team could help.
Says Witters: “Izabella shared her on-the-ground experience of supporting the refugees flooding into Poland from Ukraine. She is shocked and heart-broken by what is happening on her doorstep, and implored us, her friends in Aotearoa, to do what we can to help meet overwhelming need. Women and children are arriving frozen, physically and emotionally, after queuing at the border for over 50 hours, having left their husbands and homes, father and brothers. With inter-generational memory of war ever-present, Izabella and her compatriots are in disbelief that such horror should be witnessed in Europe again.”
Now Witters and her team have launched the Manaaki Ukraine www.manaakiukraine.co.nz campaign, encouraging New Zealand’s creative businesses to contribute to the charity World Central Kitchen – Manaaki means to support, take care of, give hospitality to, protect, look out for, show respect, generosity and care for others. So was an ideal word to use as a banner for the campaign.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is operating inside Ukraine and around the clock at all eight border crossings into Poland, providing meals from their kitchen and supplying food to more than 55 cities, including Odessa and Kyiv. As well as providing meals, WCK helps stock humanitarian warehouses and restaurant partners that are bravely working day and night to feed people in need. Just a donation of $3 or $5 can provide many meals so even a small contribution makes a big difference. The team hope to raise over $10,000 through New Zealanders’ generosity.
Says Witters: “We’ve been touched by the stories and images that WCK are sharing as their volunteers work on the ground caring for desperate people. Here in Aotearoa, we understand the connection between kai and care, and the aroha and comfort that comes from a meal prepared with love. That’s why we are asking the creative community in Aotearoa to Manaaki Ukraine and support the World Central Kitchen as it provides hope – one meal at a time. Sometimes complex problems have simple solutions – in this case over one million meals warming frozen hearts, from the inside out.”
The Manaaki Ukraine campaign calls upon Aotearoa’s creative community to share the manaakitanga of providing nourishment, comfort and connection through food, by donating to World Central Kitchen and crediting your donation to Manaaki Ukraine so that we can share our impact with our community.
To get involved people need to:
- 1. Visit www.manaakiukraine.co.nz
- 2. Click on DONATE NOW
- 3. Select donation amount and correct currency
- 4. Fill in your details
Says Witters: “We would love for kiwis working in the NZ creative community to be part of this initiative and share their support by downloading the creative assets and utilising social media tiles, campaign badge, zoom background, and email signature to show your support. Please share the www.manaakiukraine.co.nz fundraising page with your colleagues and let’s make a collective difference and show NZ creative businesses care.”
Interested people are encouraged to follow the Manaaki Ukraine social media channels for updates and to inspire others to donate too by re-sharing on their social channels.
LinkedIn: Manaaki Ukraine
Instagram: @manaaki_ukraine
