Just months after pledging to match up to $3 million in donations, actress Mila Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher's Stand With Ukraine campaign has raised over $37 million to provide supplies and short-term housing to Ukrainian war refugees.
A People of the Year honoree, Ukrainian-born Kunis told the publication that while she rarely speaks out about her philanthropy, it seemed to be the only choice in this situation. "When we saw Putin was going after the entire country, we knew a massive crisis was about to ensue," the actress said.
The couple immediately got to work, and the Stand With Ukraine campaign was launched on GoFundMe only days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Partnering with AirBnB and Flexport, the campaign wasted no time delivering "critical relief aid" to refugees, including medical equipment, emergency beds, and hygiene kits.
When asked how they managed such a quick mobilization of the Stand With Ukraine efforts, Kunis shared that there was little time to think—they could only act.
"The luxury of the situation was that we didn't have time to overthink things. Because I'm from Ukraine, I started getting calls from people who [wanted to help and] thought I knew the politics or had an understanding of NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] on the ground.
That was my realization: If they don't know who to go to, how will anybody? There were problems we knew we could help solve. So Ashton and I said, 'Okay, let's do this.' Within 24 hours, we had GoFundMe on board."
Kunis Says War Efforts Helped Connect Her to Her Ukrainian Heritage
As for Kunis, the actress says that her efforts have helped connect both her and her children to their Ukrainian heritage—after moving to the United States when she was just a child.
"My kids were always going to grow up eating my mother's food. My parents and I speak Russian to each other, so they've grown up with that. They've naturally found pride in being half-Ukrainian. The truth is I'm very American. I was raised in Los Angeles. That said, I've never been more proud to be from Ukraine," Kunis explained.
She continues, "I'm so honored my kids can carry on that heritage. When you're little, all you want to do is assimilate. As horrible as so many things are in the world today, the 'You're different, and that's a cool thing' sense of identity is new. I'm grateful for that."
Although the Stand With Ukraine campaign has surpassed its original goal by over $7 million, Kunis adds that the effort isn't finished until the war is over. "We can't become desensitized," the actress urged. "Helping—not even asking, just doing—should be our standard norm." Learn more about the Stand With Ukraine campaign and donate on their official GoFundMe page.