She’s encouraging people across Singapore to host dinner parties to raise awareness of the refugee situation.
by Rachel Genevieve Chia / March 19, 2022
Elaine Kim at a Dinner For Hope event seeking to raise awareness for the Ukraine refugee situation. Photo: Apic Moments Photography
“We’ve just added over 2 million refugees over the last few weeks,” Elaine Kim says. “The refugee situation is very dire.”
Kim, who is co-founder of Crib, a nonprofit for female entrepreneurs, has refugee numbers at her fingertips. A woman like that isn’t sitting back and waiting for someone else to step up: instead, she’s activating Crib’s charity arm, Crib Gives Back, to help Ukranians in need by raising funds for charities focused on refugee aid.
(Related: How Crib co-founder Elaine Kim is empowering women’s dreams through entrepreneurship)
These include the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Rescue Committee, whose relief efforts have been focused in recent months on Ukrainans passing through the Polish border amid the Russian invasion.
According to Crib, the Ukraine crisis is taking the heaviest toll on women and children, who make up 80 percent of refugees and displaced people.
Host a Dinner
One of Crib’s charity initiatives, Dinners for Hope, encourages people across Singapore to host dinner parties to raise awareness for the refugee situation in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Anyone can pledge on the website to be a dinner host. Following that, they will receive resources to share with guests, including videos and information about the charities’ efforts.
Hosts can also opt to invite a charity representative as one of their guests – who will share how funds support refugees and provide a deeper understanding of the situation on the ground.
(Related: Where to find Ukranian cuisine in Singapore)
Donations are not mandatory. “We’re doing these dinners to raise awareness and engage people through spreading the word,” Kim explains. “We’re hoping to create a movement where one person hosts a dinner, and then each of the people they invite host a dinner, and that paying it forward will continue.”
Of course, if host or guests feel the calling to donate, they are more than welcome. Past Dinner for Hope efforts have seen funds raised for Afghan refugees, and Crib produces reports detailing where and how contributions have been spent.
“With charity initiatives, sometimes you don’t know where the money is actually going, which is a big roadblock to people actually donating,” says Kim. “We work directly with all our charities, collect the money, make sure it gets to them, and report where it goes. I see that as being accountable.”
(Related: Meet the Michelin-star chef feeding Ukrainian refugees)
Future plans
In the coming months, Dinners for Hope could also go big. One of the larger-scale dinners held in March at member’s club 1880 saw guests hear insights from Ukrainian ambassador to Singapore Katerina Zelenko, International Rescue Committee Europe deputy regional director Stefan Lehmeier, and geopolitical experts, including Ambassador-at-Large with Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chan Heng Chee.
Still, with group size restrictions, it’s hard to raise funds with a big event, Kim admits. That’s why these cosy dinners held in homes across the nation will play an important role in helping millions of Ukranians tide over one of the darkest periods of their lives.
Elaine Kim is a member of The Peak Circle, an invitation-only community of thought and business leaders. Pledge yourself as a Dinner for Hope host here.
3 More Ways To Support Ukraine:
- Donate to the Singapore Red Cross, which is aiming to raise US$100,000 to provide family and household kits to the displaced and vulnerable https://donate.redcross.sg/campaigns/ukraine-crisis
- Support Unicef’s efforts to supply millions of health workers, Ukrainain families and children with medicine, water, and school supplies. https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/conflict-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children
- Contribute to Care’s Ukraine Crisis Fund, which aims to provide four million people – particularly women, girls and elderly – with food, water, and cash to cover daily needs. https://www.care.org/news-and-stories/news/ukraine-emergency-how-you-can-help/
