Shaquille O’Neal of the US basketball legends, Harry Styles, and Ed Sheeran, among other celebrities, will donate personal items for a campaign started on Saturday to assist healthcare in Ukraine.
The “Human Kind” e-store, where fans may try to win products donated by their favorite celebrities, was founded by the WHO Foundation, an independent organization that seeks to generate cash to support the UN health agency’s work addressing global health crises, seven months into Russia’s war.
The charity stated that it hoped to raise $53.7 million and added that the money raised will support WHO operations in war-torn Ukraine and surrounding nations.
Harry Styles has donated a signed vinyl, while Shaquille O’Neal, Ukrainian footballer Vitaliy Mykolenko and other sports legends have donated signed shirts and jerseys.
Wladimir Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion and brother of Kyiv’s mayor, has donated a boxing glove.
The star-studded line-up also includes British singer Ellie Goulding and American artist Shepard Fairey.
British pop legend Annie Lennox, who donated a pair of iconic sunglasses, said images from Ukraine, including of women giving birth in basements, were “profoundly shocking.”
“I encourage everyone to do what they can to support the people of Ukraine through this crisis,” she said in the foundation’s statement, insisting that “healthcare is a human right that all deserve access to.”
Raffle tickets for the items cost between o5-10 ($5.40-10.90) on the humankind.who.foundation website from September 24 to October 24, with winners set to be drawn on October 31, the foundation said.
“Seven months into this tragic war, people are ever more in need of urgent medical care across the country,” foundation chief Anil Soni said in the statement.
“We must address the immediate and long-term health needs of those affected.”
Since Moscow invaded its western neighbour on February 24, the WHO has verified 550 attacks on healthcare in Ukraine.
More than 5,900 civilians have died, and more than 8,600 have been injured, while over 12 million Ukrainian refugees are currently in Europe a result of the war, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, some 17.7 million people — over a third of Ukraine’s population — need humanitarian assistance.
The WHO said it has so far helped deliver 1,300 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Ukraine, including kit for blood transfusions, essential medicines, ambulances, oxygen, and surgical equipment.
