Many of us will have struggled over the past few days to understand how the current horror unfolding in Ukraine could even be possible in this day and age.

It has felt as though the human race has learned very little from the lessons history should have taught us.

Like many others I have watched the scenes of innocent families being forced to hide underground or leave their homes altogether in tears.

Seeing civilians including young children being deliberately targeted is simply indescribable in its horror.

I am not ashamed to admit that several times recently I have felt utter despair at what is unfolding.

I know I am far from alone in this.

When you see something horrific happening and you don’t have the power to stop or change it, it can easily lead to a feeling of helplessness and frustration.

It might feel as though there is little or nothing you can do to make a difference, so you end up doing exactly that – nothing.

At the same time though there are daily reports of acts of bravery, kindness and heroism.

In desperate and horrific situations there will always be those who demonstrate the very best qualities of humankind – doing all they can to help others in the greatest of need.

In situations like these it is more important than ever to remember that even the smallest of actions can make a difference.

A Ukrainian friend and former colleague of mine told me that every message of support has given her a little bit of strength.

Whilst she feels devastated by what is happening to her country, she says that people reaching out has made her feel that at least people care and are not indifferent to what is happening.

In her most recent message she asked us to please pray for peace in her country.

Knowing that people are praying is providing a crumb of hope and comfort in the darkest of times.

We can’t all be heroes or Nobel Prize winners. But we can all find something which will make a small difference.

And millions of small gestures start to make a significant difference.

It might be a small donation to a humanitarian collection, a message to someone directly affected or a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

And it may not feel like much or nearly enough.

But doing something will always be better than sitting back and doing nothing at all.

Never has this been more true than it is right now.