About Kent With Ukraine
Kent With Ukraine is a UK-based, NGO supporting Ukraine’s resilience, recovery and long-term security through direct humanitarian delivery, sub-national cooperation and support for veterans.
Founded as a civic response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kent With Ukraine grew from the generosity of communities across Kent who opened their homes to displaced Ukrainian families, donated essential supplies, raised funds and mobilised in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Since then, our work has developed from community-led aid collection into a structured programme of regional partnership-building, humanitarian delivery, school and municipal links, cultural cooperation, veteran support, and recovery-focused policy development with Ukrainian partners.
Kent With Ukraine works principally with communities and institutions in the Chernihiv Oblast, a region that has experienced occupation, bombardment, infrastructure damage and significant humanitarian need. Our approach is built on trusted relationships, practical delivery and long-term commitment. We firmly believe that Ukraine’s recovery will require much more than emergency assistance. It will require durable partnerships between communities, municipalities, regions, schools, businesses and civil society. Kent With Ukraine exists to help build those relationships, to support decision makers in Ukraine with policy development and to ensure that local support from the United Kingdom contributes meaningfully to Ukraine’s immediate needs and future resilience.
Our Origins
Kent With Ukraine was founded by Jordan Meade following his work supporting Ukrainian families resettled in North Kent through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
That initial local support quickly developed into direct humanitarian engagement. Jordan undertook repeated missions to Ukraine to deliver aid, understand local needs and build relationships with regional and municipal partners. These visits provided first-hand insight into the pressures facing Ukrainian communities and the importance of sustained, locally informed support.
During visits to Chernihiv Region, Jordan saw both the scale of the damage caused by Russia’s war and the strength of local communities determined to recover, rebuild and maintain public services under extraordinary pressure. He also recognised the strong natural affinity between Kent and the Chernihiv region: agricultural regions with deep heritage, strong local identities and resilient communities.
Those early relationships became the foundation for Kent With Ukraine’s wider mission: to connect the people, institutions and communities of Kent with partners in Ukraine in ways that deliver practical benefit now and support recovery over the long term.
Our Timeline
2022: Community response begins
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Volunteering through local councils and organisations to support displaced Ukrainians arriving in the UK.
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Collected aid locally across Kent for distribution through recognised partners.
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Started to work with political leaders in the UK to strengthen support for Ukraine.
2023: First humanitarian aid missions
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In partnership with UK Friends of Ukraine and other organisations, volunteers from Kent took part in humanitarian aid missions and we undertook our first engagement with the Chernihiv Regional State Administration.
2024: Kent–Chernihiv regional partnership developed
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After careful and practical negotiation with the Chernihiv Regional State Administration we designed the framework for a regional partnership to be created between Kent and the Chernihiv Region of Ukraine. It was agreed that this would be done on mutual terms and be practical and deliverable.
2025: Expanded humanitarian delivery and civic partnerships
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When Kent County Council voted to sign the Regional Partnership, it was agreed that no taxpayers’ money would be used from the County Council to facilitate the partnership. Kent With Ukraine was born out of this commitment and in late 2025 we signed an independent agreement with the Chernihiv Regional State Administration which specified Kent With Ukraine as a delivery partner on behalf of the people of Kent.
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In this space, we were proud to facilitate new civic and organisational partnerships (including four municipal twinning agreements).
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We became a trusted delivery partner for Rotary International Clubs across the South East of England, who used our knowledge to facilitate aid delivery across Ukraine.
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Working in partnership with Fire Aid UK we delivered our first fully-equipped fire engine out to Ukraine.
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We supported Ukraine through the hardest winter in a generation by delivering generators and warm winter items.
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We signed up schools to our twinning programme and commenced work with a number of partner NGOs and organisations.
2026: Kent With Ukraine Ltd incorporated as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (NGO)
Kent With Ukraine was not born in 2026; we have evolved since 2022.
We began as a community response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, before developing into a wider civic initiative supporting displaced Ukrainians across Kent, and building practical links between communities, councils and institutions in the UK and Ukraine.
This work helped lay the foundations for the UK’s first region-to-region agreement between a UK county and a Ukrainian oblast, linking Kent with Chernihiv. Through that progression, KWU has developed trusted relationships, practical delivery experience and a clear understanding of local needs in Ukraine.
Incorporation as Kent With Ukraine Ltd, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, marks our next stage in that development: moving from a civic movement working in partnership with others, to a formally governed and regulated NGO with the structures, policies and accountability needed to expand its work responsibly and continue delivering practical support for the people of Ukraine.
From Community Response to Structured Delivery
Kent With Ukraine began with local residents collecting donations for Ukraine. Working with Iris Smith and Thomas O’Keefe, landlords of TJ’s Pub in Gravesend, early volunteers helped gather, sort and prepare supplies for onward delivery.
The response from the community was substantial. What began as a small local initiative soon developed into a wider county-level effort, supported by volunteers, local businesses, community groups and individual donors.
Since our first humanitarian aid mission in 2023, Kent With Ukraine has delivered essential support to communities in Lviv, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy. This has included medical supplies, mobility and rehabilitation equipment, educational materials, clothing, hygiene products, humanitarian goods, children’s items, books, toys and specialist equipment for communities affected by the war.
Today, our humanitarian activity is more structured and targeted. With support from partners including Skyford Logistics Ltd, Kent With Ukraine operates from dedicated warehouse space in Sittingbourne, where aid is sorted, packed, labelled and prepared for onward transport. Volunteer drivers then deliver supplies directly to Ukraine, ensuring that support reaches trusted partners and communities on the ground.
Our model is practical, needs-led and relationship-based. We seek to ensure that donated goods are appropriate, properly prepared and directed to areas where they can make a clear difference.
Kent and Chernihiv: A Historic Regional Partnership
A central part of Kent With Ukraine’s work has been the development of a formal partnership between Kent and Chernihiv Oblast.
In 2024, following an invitation from the Head of Chernihiv Regional State Administration, Mr Viacheslav Chaus, Jordan Meade brought forward a proposal to Kent County Council to establish a long-term relationship with Chernihiv Region.
The proposal received unanimous support from Kent County Council in July 2024. During the debate, councillors heard from Vladyslav Sadovoi, a young Ukrainian who came to Kent through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, who spoke powerfully about his journey and the importance of friendship between communities.
The decision marked the beginning of the first county-to-oblast partnership between a UK county and a Ukrainian oblast.
Later that year, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Kent and Chernihiv, establishing a formal basis for cooperation between the two regions. This partnership provides a framework for practical collaboration across humanitarian support, education, culture, local government, civil society, recovery and long-term reconstruction.
Kent With Ukraine now also holds a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chernihiv Regional State Administration, enabling us to continue supporting this relationship and develop practical programmes with regional and local partners.
Watch the KCC Debate on Ukraine from 2024:
In 2024, after a formal invitation from the Head of the Chernihiv Regional State, Mr Viacheslav Chaus, Jordan brought forward a proposal to Kent County Council to form a long-term partnership with the region. After a deeply moving debate—during which teenager Vladyslav Sadovoi, a refugee who came to Kent via the Homes for Ukraine scheme, addressed councillors about his journey, the motion was passed unanimously in July 2024 and Kent formally commenced a historic relationship with the people in Chernihiv. This was the first region-to-region partnership established between a County in the UK and an Oblast in Ukraine.
Our Mission Today
Kent With Ukraine exists to support the people of Ukraine through practical assistance, trusted partnership and long-term civic cooperation.
Our current work includes:
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Directly delivering essential humanitarian aid to Chernihiv Region and other conflict affected areas.
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Supporting town, parish and municipal twinning between Kent and Ukrainian communities.
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Supporting Ukraine's brave defenders and advocating for veteran support.
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Facilitating school-to-school links, youth engagement and educational exchanges.
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Building cultural and community connections between Kent and Ukraine.
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Supporting displaced Ukrainian families living in Kent.
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Expanding opportunities for English-language learning across Ukraine.
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Supporting restoration, reconstruction and development partnerships.
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Creating mechanisms for interregional business and civic cooperation.
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Promoting sub-national diplomacy as a practical contribution to Ukraine’s recovery.
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Empowering and supporting civic leaders across Ukraine.
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Supporting decentralisation and strengthening local government in Ukraine.
Our approach is grounded in direct engagement, local partnership and practical delivery. We do not see our work as short-term charity alone, but as part of a wider effort to build enduring cooperation between British and Ukrainian communities.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and proud to be a Member of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations NCVO.
We are signatories to, and subscribe to Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability
Why Our Work Matters
Kent With Ukraine has grown from a community response into a credible and practical platform for UK–Ukraine partnership.
Our strength lies in our direct relationships, our understanding of local needs, our volunteer base, and our ability to connect communities in the UK with partners in Ukraine. We have demonstrated that local action, when properly organised and responsibly delivered, can make a meaningful contribution to international recovery and resilience.
As Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty and rebuild its communities, Kent With Ukraine remains committed to standing alongside the people of Ukraine for the long term.
Our work is guided by a simple belief: meaningful partnership is built through trust, consistency and action. Kent With Ukraine exists to turn the goodwill of people and businesses in the UK into practical support, lasting friendship and measurable contribution to Ukraine’s recovery and the security of Europe.
