National fundraising day for Ukraine kicks off with €21.4 million donated to Giro555

Giro555 for aid in Ukraine raised 21.4 million euros by Monday morning. That is 5 million more than the previous standing on Saturday. Eleven collaborating aid organizations opened the Giro number a week ago to aid Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

At 6:00 a.m. on Monday, radio DJs Sander Lantinga and Gerard Ekdom kicked off the national action day for Giro555 Samen in Actie voor Oekraine, which translates to Together in Action for Ukraine. Between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., DJs from various stations will present a special broadcast under the name Radio555 from Sound & Vision. It is a collaboration between NPO Radio 2, NPO 3FM, NPO Radio 5, Qmusic, 100%NL, Radio 538, Radio10, Radio Veronica, SLAM!, and Subline.

The TV program Samen in Actie voor Oekraine will broadcast from 8:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on NPO1, RTL 4, and SBS6. People can call into the telethon to donate money. Attention will, therefore, be paid to various actions. Chantal Janzen and Rob Kemps will present the broadcast. Jeroen Pauw and Eva Jinek will also participate, receiving guests in the studio and interacting with correspondents in the region. 

The amount raised by cultural institutions with their #hArtforUkraine action this weekend will officially be donated to Giro555 on Monday. Many theaters, museums, and dance and music ensembles raised money through benefit concerts and projecting the Ukrainian flag on their building.

The invasion of Russia threatens a humanitarian disaster in Ukraine. The aid organizations will use the money raised to give emergency aid to Ukrainians. According to the organizations behind Giro555, Ukrainians need shelter, medical care, and clean drinking water, among other things.