Hibs fans have united this week to support the work of longstanding charity Dnipro Kids as Ukraine finds itself in the midst of war.
Led by the Hanlon Stevenson Foundation – who have pledged that all proceeds from their Franck Sauzée prize draw will be donated to Dnipro Kids – fans groups, podcasts and forums have rallied behind the cause which aims to give orphans in Ukraine’s third biggest city some positivity during difficult periods of their lives.
In just a few days Hibs fans have raised nearly £30,000 to support the children of Ukraine at a time when they are facing a situation most of them will be too young to understand.
On its website, Dnipro Kids (also referred to as the Dnipro Appeal) explains its origins and the reason for its establishment:
“September 2005 and a UEFA Cup trip to the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk for Hibernian FC, sees a handful of supporters organise a charitable collection for some local orphans. Within a few months the idea has snowballed and the well-meaning Hibernian support has an official charity to its name.”
In light of the recent events in Ukraine, Hibs fans have been reaching out to Dnipro Kids to ask how they could help. In the last few days, the Russian armed forces have moved in on the city of Dnipro which has led to an increased outpouring of support for the charity and the children it does so much work to assist.
On Sunday morning the Hanlon Stevenson Foundation confirmed they would donate all proceeds from their Franck Sauzée prize draw to Dnipro Kids, with some incredible prizes up for grabs for donations of £10+ before Monday 14th March.
In conjunction with the announcement was the united backing of a range of Hibernian-related supporters’ groups and online media outlets in a move which is very seldom seen in the world of football.
Hibernian Retro, Hibees Bounce, hibs.net, Down the Slope, the Hibs Club, Hibernian Supporters, Hibs Talk, Longbangers, the Hibernian Former Players’ Association, We Are Hibs and the Hibs Supporters Group all put their names to the joint fundraising effort which has so far raised in excess of £7000 for Dnipro Kids.
Tuesday afternoon saw the total amount donated to Dnipro Kids increase substantially as popular fans’ forum hibs.net announced they would be offering their annual contributions, normally passed to Hibernian FC, to Dnipro Kids in full.
A total of £21,367 was sent to the Hanlon Stevenson Foundation fundraiser, taking the amount raised by Hibs fans to nearly £30,000.
It’s been a simply phenomenal response to the most harrowing of circumstances and shows once again the generosity and kindness amongst the Hibs support which has come together to do some great things in recent years.
You can get involved with the fundraiser on the dedicated JustGiving page by clicking here, with all donations of £10+ before Monday 14th March entered into a prize to win some excellent Franck Sauzée related prizes.
To stay up to date with Dnipro Kids you can follow them on Twitter here.
The East Stand 