УКР On July 31, the TQ4UA (Tourniquets for Ukraine) project, a months-long international fundraising initiative led by German political analyst Jessica Berlin and the Berlin-based nonprofits Ukraine Help Berlin and Leleka Foundation, reached a milestone of 120,000 euros. It enabled the purchase of 9,421 tourniquets for frontline Ukrainian medics.
The last tranche of funding—€7,300—was received this month and allowed Leleka to procure 600 additional tourniquets. Every single tourniquet funded through this campaign has already been distributed and is in use by medics working under fire across Ukraine.
The campaign was launched in November 2023, when Jessica Berlin—an American-born analyst and longtime advocate for Ukraine—posted a simple but powerful idea on social media: if just 0.1% of Germany’s population (roughly 84,000 people) donated the cost of one tourniquet, 84,000 could be supplied to Ukrainian defenders. That post marked the beginning of a unique people-powered initiative.
“This was always meant to be a grassroots campaign,” said Vitalii Oliinyk, project lead at Ukraine Help Berlin, which Berlin selected as the campaign’s implementing partner. “Jessica’s idea resonated because it was simple and scalable. And we knew Leleka had the infrastructure to deliver on the ground.”
Thanks to their previous collaboration, Ukraine Help Berlin brought Leleka Foundation on board as the official Ukrainian partner responsible for procurement and frontline delivery. The fundraiser officially launched on November 15, 2023, and raised over €40,000 in its first month alone. Over six phases, momentum slowed, but the team continued pushing forward. “In the end, we surpassed €120,000, which translated into 9,421 tourniquets,” Oliinyk noted.
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Vadym Geshel, President of Leleka Foundation, emphasized the campaign’s impact: “Every single tourniquet funded through TQ4UA is now helping save lives. This is what international solidarity looks like. We are deeply grateful to Jessica Berlin, Ukraine Help Berlin, and every person who gave.”
Tourniquets remain one of the most requested and critically important items for medics operating in high-risk evacuation zones. To deliver more tourniquets in July Leleka launched a new campaign $25 Can Save a Life in Ukraine, with the goal of raising $10,000 to provide 400 tourniquets.
To support the campaign, please visit https://givebutter.com/kMF7Wu.