Razom Health team continues working hard on ensuring support of American and international organizations, funds and establishments, to provide diverse aid for hospitals and Ukrainian healthcare system overall. Here are the highlights of the last month of 2022.
During wartime, Ukrainian hospitals and the wider civilian population are experiencing severe shortages of medications. Razom Health is working to meet this ever-present need. Thanks to a generous donation from our partners at Sapientia, we are happy to share that many hospitals in hot-spot regions have recently received levothyroxine – a critical thyroid medication.
Shout out to David and Rachel – pictured here with our own Razom team members – who traveled halfway around the world (NYC —> Lviv ) to hand-deliver critical supplies for surgical departments in Ukrainian hospitals. This was made possible through the “Luggage for Life” program at Afya Foundation – a dedicated Razom Health partner.
This winter, with Ukraine’s basic infrastructure under attack, reliable heat sources are of the utmost importance for medical facilities – and Razom Health is meeting this need. Pictured here are the first of several oil heaters that Razom has procured for hospitals throughout the country. These two were delivered to hospitals in Izium and Balakliia, in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv oblast.
Pictured below is the recent delivery of wheelchairs to two hospitals in central Ukraine: the Veterans Hospital in Kropyvnytskyi and Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro. This could only become possible thanks to our network of partners and donors – thank you for helping us support Ukraine!
These are just few examples of the critical supplies that Razom is able to procure and deliver to Ukrainian hospitals, thanks to generous donations from our community. Want to help Ukrainian doctors, nurses, and patients this winter? Please consider supporting our work – donations of all sizes make a difference!
Words cannot fully express our gratitude for staying razom (together) this year. We wish you and your families a happy holiday season and we send our heartfelt thanks for your support. If you’re looking for ways to continue to engage with Ukraine over the holidays, we’d like you to consider these ideas:
After President Zalensky’s historic visit and speech to a joint session Congress, reach out to your representatives today and tomorrow to call on them to schedule a vote on H.Res.1205, which would recognize russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide. Follow this link to easily email, call, and tweet your Members of Congress.
Join our year end giving campaign to help Ukrainians get through this winter. With your support, we can keep Ukrainians alive and connected to each other by providing additional portable heat and power sources. Visit our Donations Page for more info, including how to get your employer to match your gift this year. Our donations team is also here to help, just email: donations@razomforukraine.org.
If you’re still working through your gift shopping list, consider buying something made in Ukraine to support Ukraine’s economy and those who are creating through extraordinary circumstances. Razom rounded up a personal Holiday Gift Guide for some ideas.
Plan ahead for the remainder of December and into January with events that support Ukraineand Ukrainian culture. Razom hosts a calendar page on its website listing the best events happening across the U.S. and sometimes the world. If you’re in New York on Friday, December 30th join us at the Brooklyn Bowl at 7:30PM to raise up the spirit of Ukrainian resistance with Gogol Bordello, featuring an opening set by DJ Daria Kolomiec and balaklava blues from Toronto. It’s going to be epic!
Make your own Ukrainian cocktail for the holiday celebration you’re planning. Javelin, a super-premium vodka donating 100% of it’s proceeds to support the people of Ukraine through Razom, created a Winter Mule recipe for us. Check it out below.
russia has weaponized winter in Ukraine by targeting power grids and energy infrastructure all over the country, Razom is working to help as many defenders, first-responders, hospitals, and civilians as we can get through this extremely difficult time. Your donation today, can help us scale.
The Razom Holiday Gift Guide is a curated a list of Ukrainian brands and made-in-Ukraine products that will serve as a wonderful gift for your loved ones, and will support those who are still creating, doing and representing Ukraine. They are working through extraordinary times, and we have the power to support them in the process.
We keep track of a list of upcoming events at https://www.razomforukraine.org/calendar/ where you can find the best events to support Ukraine and Ukrainian culture around the country. If you’re in NYC, we’ll see you at the Gogol Bordello concert presenting Ukrainian NYC Unite Eve on 12/30 @ 7:30PM!
If you’re going to celebrate this holiday season, consider making a Winter Mule using Javelin vodka who’s donating 100% of its proceeds to Razom to help Ukrainians get through the winter. 2 oz Javelin 1/2 oz lemon 1/2 oz pomegranate juice Add all ingredients to drinking glass, add ice and top with ginger beer, add sprig of rosemary and lemon wheel Будьмо!
This past weekend, with the onset of the holiday season, we wanted to recognize the hard work of our volunteers by hosting two Volunteer Appreciation Events — one virtual event to welcome all of our volunteers across countries and continents, and one in-person event inside the Ukrainian National Home in NYC’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood featuring many warm hugs and words of gratitude. Razom is a community. We love working, learning, and growing together. This holiday season, we’re thankful for the opportunity to be with all of Razom’s dedicated volunteers and supporters across different mediums and platforms to continue doing good work for Ukraine.
May you find peace and joy this season, and may Ukraine prevail soon!
The continuous targeting of Ukrainian energy infrastructure since the beginning of October has highlighted that energy supply isn’t just a winter issue, but a continuous wartime issue that has ripple effects across every aspect of life in Ukraine. We look at our team, our volunteers, our working partners, and people in Ukraine persevering during the darkest and harshest period since the full-scale invasion, and we want to do more as soon as possible. This week, updates on how we’ve been able to respond thus far.
Dear Razom community,
In the span of only 2.5 months, over 9,000 of you made a donation to Razom to make it possible for us to do everything in our power to get Ukraine closer to victory. These days it’s meant delivering humanitarian aid that can save lives during a cold winter and constant electricity outages. Today we want to report on that work as it impacts the work of defenders and first-responders, hospitals, and local civil society groups providing basic aid to internally displaced people in Ukraine.
We have already supplied the majority of first responder units on the frontlines, at least once. Between now and October, we have delivered 400 wood burning portable stoves, 7,500 freeze dried meals, and over 2,500 pieces of warm tactical clothing to our Ukrainian defenders and first responders. This is on top of our regular deliveries of IFAKs and communications equipment.
Most important during this time period have been our deliveries of 161 generators and 112 Ecoflow or Bluetti portable power stations to the frontlines. Having electricity means having connectivity, and in war time, accessing and disseminating information can be the difference between life and death. All of this aid has so far reached Bahmut, Kharkiv, and Kherson only — regions with the most brutal and consistent violence and destruction.
Since the first days of the invasion, Razom has been developing its own ERP system, enterprise resource planning software called Ozero to ensure effective accounting of the humanitarian aid we procure, ship and deliver between our warehouses and the final destination of aid in the hands of battalions, first responder units, and hospitals across Ukraine. Our team of programmers and logistics managers have been refining the software so that today Ozero is used by six other organizations to track their aid in Ukraine! In fact, if you’re an organization working to distribute aid on the ground, feel free to reach out to us to learn about how you can gain access to our Razom-made software.
The Razom Health team (formerly referred to as the Hospitals Team) won a $250,000 grant from Americares to supply generators to hospitals. It’sone of the biggest grants we’ve received to date!
Hospital generators are differentiated by their much higher power capacity — they can’t power up an entire facility, but they can support individual units like ICUs and operating rooms. With this grant, we’ve purchased enough to be able to supply 11 hospitals in Ukraine with reserve generators that provide between 20-80kW of power, supporting specific departments within the hospital. These hospitals are in Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Odesa regions, places that are dealing with high inflow of patients and where the risks of power disruptions and difficulties of restoring electricity supply are the greatest.
In an aim to support Ukraine’s institutions and local economy, the Razom Health team utilized an open source government e-tender system, ProZorro, to ensure maximum transparently in our purchasing process. The bid that won out includes Turkish manufacturers and Ukrainian distributors. ProZorro was implemented in 2016 and has since been globally recognized as one of the most innovative public procurement systems delivering government services in a stakeholder-focused, transparent, effective, fair and low-cost way.
We can’t wait to share with you photos and videos of those generators in the right hands as soon as they get delivered and installed!
Last but not least, the Razom Grants team has already delivered 90 generators that will be distributed by our grantees to power places (many in Kharkiv) where Ukrainians can gather to charge their devices and get warm. Some of these places are shelters or heating zones over 3,200 sq ft in size, and across Ukraine they’re referred to as “Points of Invincibility.” Razom has worked to support over 100 different NGOs in Ukraine to uplift the extremely active civil society groups that organized after the invasion to help people in need. Below are a few of the groups we’re supporting in this project:
Stezhka Dodomu (The Way Home) runs a shelter for victims of domestic violence in the Odessa region. When the full scale invasion broke out, they were extremely active in helping IDPs while continuing to run their shelter, which now also includes low-income families, children who were forced to leave their homes because of the war, and senior citizens.
Volonterska UA a consistent Razom Grantee based out of Kharkiv that has identified over 14 “Points of Invincibility,” heating spots across deoccupied areas in the region.
A Kindergarten turned shelter whose main mechanism of preparing food is via induction stove, requiring electricity to cook.
Korsakiv Center of Contemporary Ukrainian Art turned shelter in Lutsk that offers frequent art, craft, yoga, breathing, dancing, and performing arts workshops for kids and adults. It also operates next to Adrenalin City, a mall in Lutsk that’s been converted into a massive shelter.
There are a number of amazing projects you can support that will bring you closer with Ukrainian culture, art, and history. Below is a roundup of some of those events and fundraising opportunities. Moving forward, you’ll also be able to catch the most up to date schedule of events and creative fundraising campaigns on our website here.
In Washinton, D.C.:
On Friday, December 16, 8PM, the Music Director Cynthia Woods and the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra present Holiday Pops 2022 at the Robbins Memorial Town Hall in Arlington, VA. A festive, glamorous night out with holiday favorites including Sleigh Ride and the world premiere of Scrooge: A Christmas Overture by composer Donald Fraser—featuring Vira Slywotzky, soprano. Get your tickets here!
In New York:
On Friday, January 20, 8-10PM Plast Chornomovtsi and Chornomorski Khvyli present Newark Deb Pub Night with an open bar at Lys Mykyta in NYC. You can get your tickets on presale or at the door. More info here (all proceeds go to Razom!).
Between now and January 19, 81 Leonard Gallery is pleased to present PAUSE: Lucky Charms, a solo exhibition of recent paintings by Ukrainian-American artist Christina Saj. The exhibitionexplores the perception of magic implicit in talismans and symbols as well as the ontological nature of spirituality. The artwork is also available for purchase online. 40% of proceeds from the exhibit will be donated to Razom!
On Saturday, February 4, 8PM at Opera America in NYC, contralto Vira Slywotzky and pianist & composer Dina Pruzhansky present This American Life, a performance of classical, popular, and folk songs from the US and Ukraine. Email virasly@razomforukraine.org to reserve seats.
You can catch the performance in New Haven, CT on Sunday, January 22 at 5PM at Bethesda Lutheran Church, and in Hudson, NY on Friday, February 10 at 7PM too at Hudson Hall!
In Massachusetts:
The Grimshaw-Gudewicz Art Gallery at Bristol County Community College in Fall River, MA will be showing an exhibition called Eye of the Beholder (Don’t Close Your Eyes): Ukrainian Artists Respond to the War,from November 10-December 22. With over 120 pieces on display, these works evoke the resolve and the anguish of the Ukrainian people and what they are experiencing as events unfold. All art is on sale, with 50% of the sale price going to the artist and 50% to humanitarian organizations like Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation and Come Back Alive.
In Florida:
Introducing to the world: KOLO, an unparalleled immersive visual experience and theatrical dance show celebrating the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Ukraine! The first of its kind, KOLO is the brainchild of award-winning, Ukrainian-bred competitive ballroom dancers and partners, Iaroslav and Liliia Bieliei, both natives of Kyiv who now call Los Angeles home. The show is launching its North American tour in Florida:
Stream a historic performance of the National Ballet of Ukraine from Orlando, FL at the prestigious Steinmetz Hall on August 27, 2022, and donate to help raise humanitarian aid for Ukrainian children and families. The National Ballet of Ukraine is considered one of the top ranked ballet companies in the world. Cozy up with your friends and loved ones and watch a special performance that affirms the power of art and beauty over tyranny and destruction.
Awethentic Gallery’s latest charity campaign, Prints for Ukraine, features a variety of artworks from award-winning journalists and photographers across the world, including Mykhaylo Palinchak who served as the official photographer of the President of Ukraine; Emmy-nominated journalist Laurel Chor and renowned documentary photographer, Natalie Keyssar. All artworks are $150 and 100% of net proceeds of prints go directly to our artists and critical humanitarian war relief charities Razom and World Central Kitchen.
Globally:
Started by a Ukrainian yoga teacher, Yoga4Ukraine aims to bring together 1,000 yoga teachers all around the world that each donate ONE yoga class! Any style, any format, anywhere, anytime. Visit www.yoga4ukraine.com to officially become a part of the Yoga4Ukraine project or find a class near you, and get your Yoga4Ukraine t-shirt to support the initiative today. All donations will benefit United24 and Razom.
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter, sharing it, generously donating to our projects, and for showing your support for Ukraine. We are immensely grateful.
Stay razom.
P.S. – This time of year a lot of companies are offering matching options for your donations throughout the year. Make sure to take advantage of that! If you have any questions, please reach out to donations@razomforukraine.org.
Razom is very proud to have co-presented the Notes From Ukraine concert at Carnegie Hall that took place on December 4th, 2022. No less than the Concert of the century! The concert that celebrated a 100 years of Shchedryk being presented to the same historic location of New York City.
“‘Carol of the Bells’, a Christmas Staple From Ukraine, a Century Later” – read the title of The New York Times article. And continues stating: “It started as “Shchedryk”, a song about a little bird that was first performed in the United States in 1922. Its enchanting melody has since been sung by Beyoncé and Barenaked Ladies”.
And for us, Notes from Ukraine was a holiday miracle three years in the making, and we are so grateful to everyone who took part in making this incredible experience happen. From bringing the children’s choir, Shchedryk, to the US from Ukraine, to feeding the choir, to co-organizing the concert, finding transportation from rehearsal to rehearsal every day, and doing everything in our power to fill every seat at Carnegie (which was sold out!) – we did it, together, which is the true spirit of what it means to be Razom. As one example of such Razom spirit, we brought together recently displaced Ukrainians that we have been working with, led by volunteer Mariia Khorun under the Ukrainian Response Initiative, to take care of the children from Shchedryk and show them the magic of New York City during the holidays.
Have a look at the video that went viral on Instagram and has been featured in media all over the world – The ‘Shchedryk’ children’s choir from Kyiv, Ukraine performing the Carol of the Bells (Щедрик) at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The choir had just flown in from Poland the night before and immediately took Big Apple by storm!
We were beyond honored to have Vera Farmiga and Martin Scorsese* as our hosts and deeply appreciate their contribution to the promotion of Ukrainian culture in the world.
If you could not join us for Notes From Ukraine in person at Carnegie Hall, or if you would like to recollect those special moments and notes, watch the recording of the concert and experience the magic from the comfort of your home.
We are thankful to our generous partner Vimeo that we are able to share Ukrainian heritage through the power of music with you and the rest of the world.
But the project isn’t over yet! When the curtain drops, the real work begins. Razom took on the financial burden of putting on this great concert and we need your help in making sure we can tie up all the loose ends. We incurred many unexpected expenses and tried to spend money wisely by relying on our volunteers to lend a helping hand each step of the way (thank you x 1,000).
Please head to NotesFromUkraine.org to find ways to donate to support Notes From Ukraine and get the very last tickets to this once-in-century concert. You can also support the children’s choir and their travels to the US to perform at Carnegie Hall directly here: https://htru.io/SzJP
Learn more about other Razom efforts on the cultural diplomacy front within our Razom Culture project.
*The hosts of the Notes From Ukraine concert were an American actress of Ukrainian heritage, Vera Farmiga, and movie director and legend of New York, Martin Scorsese.
Vera Farmiga was born in Clifton, New Jersey to Ukrainian parents. She did not speak English until the age of six and was raised in a Ukrainian Catholic home. She is best known for her roles in movies like Return to Paradise, Autumn in New York, The Departed, The Manchurian Candidate, Up in the Air and Bates Motel for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Vera has been a keen supporter of Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion.
Martin Scorsese is a native New Yorker from Queens with roots in Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later provided inspiration for several of his films. It is hard to encompass the full artistic heritage of Scorsese, but his most famous directing works include Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Shutter Island, Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman. Five of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
Good news from our Razom Toy Drive. It is the 9th consecutive year of a toy drive held at the Ukrainian school Samopomich in New York. And it was yet another successful collection of toys and presents for our mentees in Ukraine – children whose one or both parents were killed in the war, children who need a glimpse of hope and joy for the holidays, who need to know that the world cares. Currently we have over a thousand kids on our list. So this year we even had two days of toy drive, which allowed everyone who wished to support these kids to bring their donations to the location. Thanks to the amazing community of Ukraine supporters the drive has collected a full pallet of gifts, which will be shipped to Ukraine shortly. And your monetary donations will cover the cost of the shipment. These gifts will form a collection of toys, clothes and other presents to be sent to Ukrainian children for birthdays and other holidays throughout the next year.
Our special thanks go to Ivan Makar for supporting the Toy Drive at the Ukrainian School and the help with inviting the parents to join! We are grateful to our incredible Razom Toy Drive team, Oksana Lytvyn, Oksana Korposh, Halyna Ka and Oksana Bazylevych for their continuous hard work! And big thanks to our project leader in Ukraine – Liudmyla Kravtsova, who will make sure the gifts will reach the children on the ground!
Stay tuned for more updates, and to see the happy faces of the little Ukrainians when they receive the gifts – please join our Facebook group.
We also continue fundraising for the Razom Toy Drive on Facebook and here. Consider donating today to help bring light and joy into Ukrainian children’s lives.
Razom is honored to have been part of the Congressional hearing hosted by the Helsinki Commission on a topic near and dear to our hearts, “Crowdsourcing victory” with our great colleagues from Prytula Charity Foundation, Come Back Alive, and Blue/Yellow.
The following witnesses testified in front of Congress on Wednesday, December 7, 2022: 1. Dora Chomiak, President of the U.S.-based NGO Razom for Ukraine 2. Taras Chmut, Director of the Ukraine-based foundation Come Back Alive 3. Serhiy Prytula, Founder and Chairman of the Ukraine-based Prytula Charity Foundation 4. Jonas Öhman, Founder and Head of the Lithuania-based NGO Blue/Yellow for Ukraine
Razom team members have been fine-tuning the testimony for weeks to accurately convey Razom’s mission to provide critical humanitarian war relief and to give justice to Razom’s volunteers, whose dedication is a cornerstone of all Razom’s operations. This hearing was important on many levels, but our main goal was to showcase the American people’s continued and strong support of Ukraine through their support of Razom.
The testimonies served to remind Congress that civil societies worldwide are united in pursuit of a decisive Ukrainian victory. After hours of discussion, editing, and practice in preparation for the testimony – we hope we have shown Congress what it means to be Razom. Because… we are all in this together, Razom.
We thank everyone who made this hearing happen. We are grateful to Helsinki Commission for hosting the hearing and inviting Razom. And our huge thanks to the Razom team behind the scenes and our President Dora Chomiak, who did an outstanding job testifying in front of Congress.
Thank you to the people of Ukraine and the United States for trusting us! We are certain – Ukraine will win.
Watch the full Congressional hearing “Crowdsourcing Victory. Inside the Civil Society Campaign to Improve the Lethality and Survivability of the Ukrainian Military”:
Additionally, early on the same day, our Razom Advocacy Team held a briefing for congressional staffers on designating russia a State Sponsor of Terrorism and invited Ambassador Bill Taylor and expert Dr. Azeem Ibrahim to speak and give commentary on the topic. The briefing was hosted by the offices of Congressmen Steve Cohen and Joe Wilson, who were also present at the briefing to give their remarks. Michael Sawkiw of UNIS also joined us to give final comments. Again, we thank everyone involved in this important work.
Whether you are new to us, or are a long-time supporter, you are a vital part of our work. Your generous contributions since the full-scale attack on Ukraine 280 days ago, have allowed us to save lives by providing critical medical and humanitarian aid, expanding the scope of our activities, and amplifying the voices of Ukrainians around the globe. We are immensely grateful for your donations (and volunteerism) that have made this work possible at scale.
What has your support resulted in?
We’ve shipped and distributed over $35 million of medical materials to Ukraine, provided tens of thousands of meals and groceries to the internally displaced, and evacuated critically ill patients and their families. We organized over 40 rallies in NYC alone, and in the fall, we helped organize the Ukraine Action Summit, a fly-in event in Washington, D.C. where 300 constituents met with 176 Congressional offices.
And that’s not everything. Razom is now more determined than ever to keep people connected to Ukraine and connected in Ukraine to meet new needs and solve challenges as they arise.
As Ukraine settles into a dark and cold winter and its civilian infrastructure is being pummeled by missiles at a rate not yet seen since the start of the invasion, the urgency of these times keeps our purpose sharp. So on this #GivingTuesday, we ask that you donate to our general fund to help us urgently deliver generators, power-banks, and wood-burning stoves to the frontlines, hospitals, and civilian warming stations.
During this holiday season, we also invite you to consider donating to two other special projects from Razom that offer support and purpose for the children of Ukraine. The first is an organized trip to New York City for 55 choir children from Kyiv to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of the Notes From Ukraine concert. The historic event on December 4th will benefit the United 24 government fundraising platform to reconstruct public services in Ukraine. As part of their trip, they will advocate for Ukraine through song and their personal stories, via scheduled interviews for national news outlets and opportunities to meet with diplomats from many nations. As Ukraine’s future, these children have a unique opportunity to take part in cultural diplomacy for Ukraine, all while practicing for their performance and taking in the sights of NYC. A $250 donation will cover one child’s day in New York. You can donate here or on facebook.
The second project is the Razom Toy Drive, one of our earliest (started in May 2014) that provides assistance to orphaned children in Ukraine, whose father or mother, or in some cases both, died defending Ukraine by sending school essentials, birthday and holiday presents, and other humanitarian assistance their way. Right now, we are raising money to gift the children portable power banks with LED lights as many of them currently live without electricity and are regularly forced to hide in dark bomb shelters and basements. You can donate here or on facebook.
We are Ukraine: resilient, determined, and motivated. It is our privilege to fight and rise together every day. Thank you for your help in this valiant struggle, and let’s continue to work RAZOM (together) for Ukraine!
This holiday season Razom invites you to support Ukraine and Ukrainians through your gift shopping. Below is a curated list of Ukrainian brands and made-in-Ukraine products that will serve as a wonderful gift for your loved ones, and will support those who are still creating, doing and representing Ukraine. They are working through extraordinary times, and we have the power to support them in the process. This list is personal to Razom – we’ve shopped there ourselves, we’ve volunteered backstage for them at New York Fashion Week, we helped raise the funds needed to translate their works, and brought joy to our loved ones when gifting from some of these places. The list is organized by category – Home Decor, Apparel, Toys and Books, and everyone ships internationally.
Shchos Tsikave | a small home and gift store in Lviv selling crafts from local artists.
Gushka | a Ukrainian wool products workshop in Kosiv, a mountain town in Ivano-Frankivsk region.
JulliaTyasko | a modern glass art Fused glass art Contemporary wall art.
Woolkrafts | a blanket store!
Gunia Project | a brand of exceptional things produced with the unique combination of design thinking and deep ethnographic research.
Trots Ceramics | a family of Hutsul ceramics makers that's been around sine 1997.
Bevza | a Kyiv-based womenswear brand creating feminine minimalist clothing and jewelry, whose collections are shown at NYFW.
Morkva Bots | an instagram shop that hand-makes shoes!
EtnoDim | an embroidery shop that creates traditional Ukrainian clothing with a modern spin.
Oliz | beautiful silk scarves, ties, and clothing with patterns exclusively made in cooperation with Ukrainian artists.
RCR Khomenko | a fashion brand with signature upcycled shirts and fun handcrafted prints.
Vish | knitted clothes and accessories produced in limited edition collections.
Katimo | women's clothing brand with year-round collections, designed and manufactured in Kyiv.
Brua | a handcrafted jewelry store based in Lviv.
UGEARS | a Ukrainian startup that creates unique wooden toys for all ages.
HURI Publications | a part of Harvard University, check out their English-translated books of Ukrainian authors.
The disruption of the global supply chain since February 24th, 2022 has worsened the disease burden on Ukraine’s healthcare system. Limited transportation and the halting of clinical services have erected substantial barriers to accessing health care and medications in many areas of the country. Our Razom Health Team is working hard to partner up with global leaders in healthcare and organize the delivery of diverse medical aid to Ukrainian towns and cities. The following are the highlights of their work in the month of November.
Thanks to our partners at MedShare, 11 more pallets of donated medical supplies are making their way to Ukrainian hospitals in need. This was MedShare’s sixth large shipment to Ukraine via Razom since March 2022, and this committed support is helping Ukrainian doctors save lives. We also remain grateful to our partners on the ground Zdorovi Agency, who are distributing these critical supplies within Ukraine.
Another large donation of medications that are providing life-saving support to Ukrainian hospitals was contributed by our generous partners at CMMB. And thanks to Airlink Flight and again Zdorovi Agency, these medications are getting to the people who need them most, as quickly as possible.
Remember those butterfly network iQ+ portable ultrasounds that Razom procured earlier? We’re happy to report that 14 of these devices have been distributed among Ukrainian hospitals in dire need, once again thanks to our partners Zdorovi Agency. These ultrasounds are already helping doctors treat patients in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, and Mykolaiv. Portable ultrasounds are vital in providing diagnostic evaluation in emergency situations. They enable clinicians to diagnose and treat patients faster, more accurately, and in a non-invasive way.
Health care leader Henry Schein is helping us support Ukraine – and Razom is grateful. Henry Schein donated 17 pallets of hygiene kits through our dedicated partner MedShare, providing essential items and honoring the dignity of Ukrainian civilians living amid war. Razom grantee and partner Rescue Now distributed these kits, in line with their ongoing work to provide humanitarian aid in Eastern Ukraine. The individuals pictured here are residents of Kharkiv.
Our community’s financial support makes this life-saving and health-supporting work possible, and we are grateful to all of you and our incredible partners in the health care field.
And we also remain deeply grateful to our partners on the ground like Zdorovi Agency, Airlink Flight and Rescue Now, who are distributing these medical supplies within Ukraine.
Razom Health Team works on obtaining and delivering large in-kind donations to Ukrainian hospitals that need them the most. Such donations are medical equipment, furniture and supplies. Razom Health is a part of the Razom Emergency Response. If you have suggestions of large donations to hospitals, reach out to the team at hospitals@razomforukraine.org.
This week, the first snowfall, the largest barrage of missiles to date targeting civilian infrastructure, recurring blackouts across many parts of Ukraine, and uncovering the devastation left behind in newly liberated Ukrainian territories, have become the new normal for Ukrainians. However their resolve, and ours, is stronger than ever. Just watch the video of a Kyiv Children’s Choir “Shchedryk” rehearsing for their upcoming Dec 4th performance at Carnegie Hall in the dark, in a bomb shelter, during air raid sirens.
Dear Razom community,
In the past few weeks you’ve had a chance to learn about Razom projects beyond our Emergency Response Project that’s been running nonstop since Feb 24th delivering critical humanitarian aid to the most in-need parts of Ukraine. Make no mistake, this remains our top priority, especially as the situation on the ground shifts with winter here and more infrastructure than ever before having been destroyed. Delivering aid that provides electricity or warmth, saves lives in Ukraine today,so please continue to support that work.
However there are so many other ways Ukraine is being effected by this relentless, brutal war. Today there are thousands of orphaned children in Ukraine, whose father or mother, or in some cases both, died defending Ukraine.Razom Toy Drive, one of our earliest projects started in May 2014, provides assistance to these children by sending school essentials, birthday and holiday presents (including toys!), and other humanitarian assistance their way every year since 2014.
In the past couple of weeks, our volunteers sent 130 high-quality winter coats to 130 of these kids. But as the holiday season approaches, we’d like to call upon your help to bring some peace and joy to children of war in Ukraine. Donate here or here to support Razom Toy Drive to expand the pool of children we can help, and gift them a portable power bank with a LED flashlight. In their world of rolling blackouts and hiding in bomb shelters and basements during regular air-raids across Ukraine, this $30 gadget will go a long way for the darkest nights before Ukraine’s victory.
Razom has combined fundraising efforts with Nova Ukraine to ensure we can invest $120,000 to help buy a “Kovcheg,” an armored all-terrain vehicle, for the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital (PFVMH) as soon as possible. Over the past eight years, since russia’s invasion in 2014, PFVMH became known as “angels in white coats,” 500+ physicians, paramedics, and support staff as volunteers providing medical care on the frontline of the war in Ukraine. They operate on the wounded and sew them on the way to base hospitals.
For the last 6 months (May-October) PFVMH treated (extracted, stabilized and evacuated to the base hospitals) 3,563 patients in the Donbas region alone.
PFVMH has always acted in the hottest zones. From the first days of the active counteroffensive in Kharkiv region, they’ve followed Dyke Pole 518 Special Military Unit in Balakliya, Hrushivka, Husarivka and other villages. Now they are also treating people in Bakhmut and in a recently liberated Lyman.
The Razom Grants project has supported this group for many months now, helping them get tactical medicine, vehicles and fuel, a portable x-ray, and now, let’s help them secure a Kovcheg! It costs $250,000 (already a reduced price) and because Kovcheg is in Ukraine, it can be purchased quickly and without any additional charges (customs fees etc). PFVMH already has everything needed to transform the vehicle into a stabilization center.
Donate on facebook or by clicking the button below that’ll take you to our website.
In the meantime, below are some of our regularly scheduled updates for our Emergency Response and Hospitals projects. This is an impressive operation with a dedicated team that ensures delivery of aid in the hands of the end-user. Our team works in four countries, US, Canada, Poland, and Ukraine, with a warehouse in each country. That team is split into procurement (with specializations in medical versus technical devices and aid), logistics (international shipping, customs), Ukrainian warehouse staff who sorts and prepares “orders” for distribution across Ukraine, “customer support” representatives who collect and verify those orders, drivers who deliver aid directly to first-responders and defenders, and technologists who maintain a software system that allows us to efficiently track every package that leaves our warehouse in Ukraine.
For example, on November 12 Razom delivered over 180 medical first-aid kits of the highest quality to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Mykolaiv region. That was our 27th (!!) delivery to an outpost of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. This government agency are first-responders when russian missiles strike, and key actors demining de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Countless civilian lives are saved thanks to their work everyday.
As for our Hospitals team, managing in-kind donations and medical missions, most recently they worked with Henry Schein who donated 17 pallets of hygiene kits through our dedicated partner MedShare, providing essential items and honoring the dignity of Ukrainian civilians living amid war. Razom partner and grantee, Rescue Now, distributed these kits in line with their ongoing work to provide humanitarian aid in Eastern Ukraine. The individuals pictured below are residents of Kharkiv.
On November 25, Ukrainians around the world commemorate Holodomor Remembrance Day, remembering the millions of Ukrainians starved to death by the Soviet regime in an artificially-created famine. Today, less than a hundred years later, the Ukrainian nation is again fighting for its right to exist.
S.Res. 713 and H.Res. 1205 recognize Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unambiguously meets the definition of the term genocide as defined by the Genocide Convention and reflected in U.S. law. Passing this important resolution reaffirms America’s commitment to our fundamental principles and underscores the seriousness of Russia’s crimes.
We ask our community and friends to please email, call, or tweet your Members of Congress today and ask them to cosponsor and support this important resolution! You can follow Razom’s latest call to action here: https://www.votervoice.net/RAZOMF…/Campaigns/98795/Respond
We’ve been counting down the days until Notes From Ukraine, the 100th anniversary concert celebrating Ukrainian “Carol of the Bells” at Carnegie Hall and returning to the Stern Auditorium/Perelman stage for one day only!
Tickets are selling fast and sponsorship opportunities for businesses are still available, but what we ask of you after the latest missile attacks on Ukraine this week, is to help us bring the Kyiv Children’s Choir «Shchedryk», who will be performing at the concert, to NYC. Below is a little peak into their rehearsals this week. As Kyiv goes through constant power shutdowns, the kids are left to rehearse in darkness and during air raid alarms, in bomb shelters. Despite all the challenges, the choir persists in its mission to represent Ukraine to an international audience — just like the Ukrainian Republic Capella 100 yers ago. Our «Shchedryk» Choir may be rehearsing in the dark bomb shelters now, but in a month they will be on a bright stage of Carnegie Hall and a warm audience awaits them. Help us to bring them to NYC by making a donation here and become a part of the history of promoting and preserving Ukrainian culture.
Kyiv Children’s Choir «Shchedryk» rehearses in the dark, determined to come to Carnegie Hall to perform on Deember 4, 2022. On October 5, 1922, the Ukrainian Republic Capella performed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall and North American audiences heard for the first time Mykola Leontovych’s “Shchedryk”, a traditional Ukrainian song that would become the beloved holiday classic, “Carol of the Bells.”
There are a number of amazing projects you can support that will bring you closer with Ukrainian culture, art, and history. Below is a roundup of some of those events and fundraising opportunities. Moving forward, you’ll also be able to catch the most up to date schedule of events and creative fundraising campaigns on our website here.
In New York:
On Sunday, November 19, 7-11PM the Lisovi Chorty Plast Fraternity is celebrating their centenary by hosting a formal costume ball, or Kostyumivka, at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City. The elegant affair will be a fundraiser to support humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine. Secure your tickets here.
Closing on Sunday, November 20, 11AM – 6PM at Howl! Arts New York is Yara Arts Group’s presentation of “Mariupol,” an exhibition of award-winning photographs and video by Evgeniy Maloletka and Mstyslav Chernov (AP) from the first days Russia invaded Ukraine this year. There were no funerals. No memorials. No public gatherings to mourn those killed by Russia’s relentless attacks on the port city of Mariupol that became a symbol of Ukraine’s ferocious resistance. The mass grave trenches told the story of a city under siege. You catch the exhibit everyday this week until Sunday.
On Sunday, December 4, 2PM Notes From Ukraine, a concertdedicated to 100 years of “Shchedryk” and highlighting Ukrainian music and the connections between Ukrainian and American cultures, will take the stage at Carnegie Hall. Secure your tickets here!
On Saturday, December 10, 12:30PM – 3:30PM at the Kolo Klub come join Namaste Hoboken for its holiday party in support of Ukraine.
In Washinton, D.C.:
On Wednesday, November 30, 5:30-8:30PM, the U.S. – Ukraine Foundation will host the D.C. premier of Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, an incredible documentary film by Evgeny Afinevsky is a sequel to his 2015 documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom. Secure your ticket here.
In Massachusetts:
The Oxbow Gallery in Easthampton, MA will be showing a series of new oil paintings by Joanne Holtje, “Lamentations,” from October 27-November 27, 2022. Begun in early 2022, this series served as a way for her to bear witness to the horror of the invasion of Ukraine. The proceeds of sales from the show, plus an additional 20% match from an anonymous donor will be donated to Razom.
On Friday, December 16, 8 – 9:30PM, the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra presents Holiday Pops 2022, a festive, glamorous night out featuring Sleigh Ride and the world premiere of Scrooge: A Christmas Overture by composer Donald Fraser—featuring Vira Slywotzky, soprano.
The Grimshaw-Gudewicz Art Gallery at Bristol County Community College in Fall River, MA will be showing an exhibition called Eye of the Beholder (Don’t Close Your Eyes): Ukrainian Artists Respond to the War,from November 10-December 22. With over 120 pieces on display, these works evoke the resolve and the anguish of the Ukrainian people and what they are experiencing as events unfold. All art is on sale, with 50% of the sale price going to the artist and 50% to humanitarian organizations like Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation and Come Back Alive.
In Florida:
Introducing to the world: KOLO, an unparalleled immersive visual experience and theatrical dance show celebrating the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Ukraine! The first of its kind, KOLO is the brainchild of award-winning, Ukrainian-bred competitive ballroom dancers and partners, Iaroslav and Liliia Bieliei, both natives of Kyiv who now call Los Angeles home. The show is launching its North American tour in Florida:
You can now buy a cool gaming bundle on Humble Bundle, who sells games, ebooks, software, and other digital content, while supporting Razom. Make a choice of 2, 5 or 9 games and proceeds from your purchase will support Razom in continuing to send aid to Ukraine.
Stream a historic performance of the National Ballet of Ukraine from Orlando, FL at the prestigious Steinmetz Hall on August 27, 2022, and donate to help raise humanitarian aid for Ukrainian children and families. The National Ballet of Ukraine is considered one of the top ranked ballet companies in the world. Cozy up with your friends and loved ones and watch a special performance that affirms the power of art and beauty over tyranny and destruction.
Awethentic Gallery’s latest charity campaign, Prints for Ukraine, features a variety of artworks from award-winning journalists and photographers across the world, including Mykhaylo Palinchak who served as the official photographer of the President of Ukraine; Emmy-nominated journalist Laurel Chor and renowned documentary photographer, Natalie Keyssar. All artworks are $150 and 100% of net proceeds of prints go directly to our artists and critical humanitarian war relief charities Razom and World Central Kitchen.
“Invasion: Music and Art for Ukraine” CD is a project by Ukrainian-American GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko featuring music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan and art by outstanding Ukrainian artists Lesia Babliak, Yurii Nagulko, Olena Papka, Kati Prusenko, and Aza Nizi Maza Studio children artists, directed by Mykola Kolomiets. All proceeds go to Razom.
Globally:
Started by a Ukrainian yoga teacher, Yoga4Ukraine aims to bring together 1,000 yoga teachers all around the world that each donate ONE yoga class! Any style, any format, anywhere, anytime. Visit www.yoga4ukraine.com to officially become a part of the Yoga4Ukraine project or find a class near you, and get your Yoga4Ukraine t-shirt to support the initiative today. All donations will benefit United24 and Razom.
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter, sharing it, generously donating to many of our important projects, and for showing your support of Ukraine. We are immensely grateful.
Stay razom.
P.S. – why not add Razom to your AmazonSmile so that every time you shop, we get a 0.5% of that total as a donation. As of Sept 2022, Razom has received $4,550 from AmazonSmile. To shop at AmazonSmile, simply go to smile.amazon.com on your web browser and activate AmazonSmile on the Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone (found under settings on your app).
You can mail a check to 140 2nd. Ave., Suite 305, New York, NY, 10003
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Oblast Competitions
In 2018 we’re planning to cover expenses for 30 teams (6 people per team) at Oblast STEM competitions. Total Budget is $4500
Ruslan Batytskyi
Director, writer and cinematographer with three completed award-winning shorts as well as a feature documentary in post-production. After starting his filmmaker career at 2009, Ruslan brings his skills in project management, process analysis and systems models (received during obtaining MA in cybernetics 2003-2008) and applies them to the creative thinking and artistic thought-processes of film. He also holds BA in Film and Television directing (from the Kyiv National University of theatre, cinema and television by Karpenko-Karyi).
“A chance to participate in The Co-Pilot project it’s an amazing opportunity to help others and to tell the story that will engage and inspire people around the world”
2017 Trip Itinerary
We are gearing up for our 2017 Mission trip. It’ll be a 3-month adventure during which we plan to work with neurosurgeons from several centers from all around the country. Dr.Tomycz has also been invited to deliver an address at the annual Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv.
May 20: arrive in Kyiv, Ukraine
May 22-26: meet with area surgeons at participating centers
May 29- June 9: two week master class with Igor Kurilets MD at the International Neurosurgery Center
June 12-13: Visit to Medical Institute of Sumy State University
June 14-16: Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv
June 19-23: one week course and master class operating in complex spine and craniocervical with Ukrainian spinal surgeons and trainees from Romadanov Institute and International Neurosurgery Center
June 24-July 7: Come back to United States for two weeks
July 10-21: two week master class with Dr. Schlegov at the Neurovascular Institute
July 24-August 4: two week master class in pediatric neurosurgery with surgeons at Lviv Children’s Hospital
August 5-18: travel to out-lying centers of excellence (Stryii, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa)
August 21-31: operate with surgeons at Central Military Hospital and International Neurosurgery Center in Kyiv
September 15: leave Ukraine for United States
Surgical Mentors and Medical Support Staff
The best way to train surgeons is by providing hands-on mentorship and assistance in the operating room. One of the primary goals of the Co-Pilot Project is the continued recruitment of high quality surgeons from United States and Canada to spend time with Ukrainian counterparts, consulting on patients and performing procedures.
Surgical Mentors traveling to Ukraine
Jefferson Miley, MD – neurointerventionalist
Jonathan Forbes, MD – skull base neurosurgeon
Matthew Geck, MD – orthopedic spine surgeon
Not all of the healthcare volunteers will be able to travel to Ukraine but they still will play an important role from home. Utilizing contemporary technology, including live streaming of surgeries and communication via social media the medical support staff will advice and mentor Ukrainian neurosurgeons as they confront difficult cases.
Medical Support Staff
Bido Patel, MD – neuroradiologist
Chandra Krishnan, MD – neuropathologist
Ginger Harrod, MD – neuro-oncologist
Advisory Staff
Tim George, MD – pediatric neurosurgeon
Jim Rose, MD – vascular neurosurgeon
Ryan Murdoch, MD – orthopedic spine surgeon
Patrick Combs, MD – craniofacial surgeon
Nestor Tomycz, MD – functional neurosurgeon
Aaron Stayman, MD – vascular neurologist
Jim Rutka – pediatric neurosurgeon
Ben Warf – pediatric neurosurgeon
Participating Centers in Ukraine Page
Since our exploratory trip in 2016 we have identified a cohort of motivated and talented surgeons who are hungry for additional instruction and eager for collaboration.
Igor Kurilets, MD (International Neurosurgery Center)
Ivan Protsenko, MD (Romadanov Institute)
Kostiantyn Kostiuk, MD (Romadanov Institute)
Vitali Ganjuk, MD (Central Military Hospital, Kyiv)
Taras Mykytyn, MD (Lviv Children’s Hospital)
Dmytro Shcheglov, MD (Neurovascular Institute)
Luke Tomycz, MD
Dr. Luke Tomycz is the newest addition to the pediatric neurosurgical team at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Tomycz finished first in his high school class of over 200 students and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA where he double-majored in biology and chemical engineering. He accepted the prestigious Dean’s Full-Tuition Scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he first developed an interest in neurosurgery. After medical school, he began his formal neurosurgical training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where he trained under the late Noel Tulipan, MD, a pioneer in fetal neurosurgery for myelomeningocele. During his seven-year residency, he spent two years obtaining an in-folded fellowship in endovascular surgery, becoming proficient in the treatment of aneurysms, AVMs, Moya-Moya syndrome, and complex dural AV fistulae of adults and children. After this, Dr. Tomycz spent an additional year at Seattle Children’s Hospital performing a large volume of complex epilepsy surgery with Jeff Ojemann, MD. Following an exhaustive job search, Dr.Tomycz was attracted to Austin as the city was in the process of launching a new medical school at the University of Texas.
Dr. Tomycz specializes in all aspects of pediatric neurosurgery including brain tumors, epilepsy, Chiari malformation, tethered cord syndrome, CSF shunting, and intracranial endoscopy. As one of the only dual-trained, pediatric and endovascular neurosurgeons in the country, he is particularly interested in Moya-Moya, brain aneurysms and AVMs, arteriovenous fistulae, and other complex neurovascular disorders in children as well as adults. His research interests include the use of engineering innovations to improve treatments for hydrocephalus and he has published on a wide variety of neurosurgical topics. Outside the operating room, Dr. Tomycz enjoys playing guitar and hiking in the mountains. He has travelled extensively to perform neurosurgery and take part in short-term medical mission work – in Cuba, Kenya, Honduras, Ecuador, and Ukraine.
Dr. Tomycz grew up with four grandparents who told stories of their youth and taught their grandchildren the language of their homeland – Ukraine. His parents were both born in refugee camps following the second world war, and came to this country in the early 1950s with virtually nothing. His father excelled in academics and went into medicine, and both Luke and his brother Nestor followed suit, pursuing a career in neurosurgery. During a long period of study and training that lasted more than 15 years, Luke resolved to return to the homeland of his grandparents and provide the kind of high quality care that children receive in the United States.
Mariya Soroka
In 2014 at the peak of protests in the Maidan, Mariya joined several fellow Ukrainians living in New York City to create Razom, a young, energetic, and progressive start-up which seeks to amplify the voice of Ukraine to an American audience. An active member of the board, she is responsible for organizing cultural events as well as cooperating with government representatives, activists, and various civic groups and human rights organizations in support of Ukraine’s quest for democracy.
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Mariya is also heavily involved with fundraising for Razom’s projects via crowdsourcing, charity events, and online petitions. After graduating from Penn State University with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations and a dual minor in Entrepreneurship and International Studies, Mariya spent over 5 years in Manhattan working within the content marketing industry. She believes in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world working to rebuild Ukraine one project at a time.
Mariana Magala
Mariana Magala was born in Lviv, Ukraine. She graduated from The University of Chicago in 2013 and holds a B.A. in Economics and Slavic Languages and Literature. Currently, Mariana is a Strategic Analytics Manager at Interline Brands (subsidiary of The Home Depot) in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in analytics, business strategy, and nonprofit development. Mariana was the co-chair of a pro-bono consulting group for nonprofits in Chicago for 3 years and is currently the treasurer for a young professionals group at MOSH (Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville).
Mariana joined Razom’s Neurosurgical initiative in 2016. She is very excited to collaborate with the team and develop the initiative into a highly successful program.
