Stanford MBA Students Collect Millions’ Worth Of Medical Supplies For Ukraine

Stanford community members gather in Main Quad, some donning Ukrainian flags, to show support for Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine (Photo: NIKOLAS LIEPINS/The Stanford Daily)

A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT

Stanford MBAs are not alone in uniting to help Ukraine. B-school students around the United States have staged rallies and launched fundraisers, awareness campaigns, and donation drives, including major initiatives at Harvard Business School and elsewhere in the top 25 schools.

But GSB — as a school and a network — has been an incredible place to find and coordinate humanitarian aid for Ukraine, says Stanford’s Kate Slunkova. It has also been a great place to find, and give, emotional support.

“I’m immensely grateful for this network,” she says, “and for this kind of multidimensional community here, because we have some undergrads who helped us to put together a website, then we had some people in the Ph.D. department and med school helping out, too, because humanitarian help requires some med expertise. So it’s just an incredible place that brings together people from very different expertise areas.”

All help is welcome, she says, inside the school and outside it, noting that Stanford students have coordinated on some efforts with other B-schools — and with people on the ground in Ukraine.

‘EVERYONE CAN HELP & EVERYONE CAN ENGAGE’

“The main message that I have been transmitting is that everyone can help,” she says. “We need to make sure that help beyond private messages go into public spaces, into some proactive outreach, to different stakeholders who can help Ukraine at this difficult time. And it seems like there’s going to be tons of work needed to be done even after the active war stops. We will need to rebuild cities, re-educate people, and work with refugees. So the work is just starting.

“Everyone can help and everyone can engage. This is the core message. This network is not only helping us to engage here at Stanford, we are in touch with people on the ground in Ukraine. There have been GSB alums who are providing us with firsthand information on what is needed and what is necessary. We have a broader group of different schools working together on multiple initiatives. And it should not be school-specific. We are happy to collaborate. We’re now working with Harvard students on putting together every source where people can easily find answers to key questions.

“If people in Ukraine on the ground can come together to protect themselves from one of the most powerful armies, we here can also come together and do our work to help them and maximize our skills, our network, to help Ukrainians on the ground.”

Visit StandWithUkraine.how to learn more about efforts to help Ukraine. Visit the group’s Facebook page to donate to the effort to send medical supplies to Ukraine. 

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