Newsletter #16: How Your Donations Are Making An Impact And Much More

Published: May 20, 2022   

It’s important to remember that in Ukraine, rockets don’t choose where to fall, so the wounds of civilians and soldiers are the same.  As we enter day 83 of the war that should have never happened, we are eager to share how your generous donations to Razom help save lives in Ukraine.   

Dear Razom community,

To date, there have been over 300 events hosted worldwide benefiting Razom.  At one point, GoFundMe had 91 fundraisers for Razom live on its platform.  Today, we’ve had over 120,000 donors support our work, with the average donation being under $300 and the largest single donation being $1M.  That means that tens of thousands of you took individual action to help Ukraine.  We know we have yet to acknowledge and sincerely thank every one of you, but we promise to get there soon!  In the meantime, Razom continues to focus on converting all of those generous donations into something that saves lives as fast as possible.  The following are some highlights of that work:

Here is a screenshot of a testimonial sent to one of our TacMed Team leaders, Tonya, from a doctor at a Chernivtsi Emergency Hospital where a lot of wounded (including children) are sent ->

To date, Razom has delivered 100 hospital grade wound vac machines across hospitals in Ukraine, and 220 more are on their way from Sweden right now!  We’ve also procured 1,000 manual emergency wound vacs, plus dressings, that will be making their way to Ukraine in the next few weeks. 

Below is a photo of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (ДСНС) utilizing one of the civilian drones Razom procured and delivered to Kharkiv in their process of demining the city.  Kharkiv is one of the most mined places in Ukraine (and the world) right now, slowing down reconstruction efforts and risking the lives of tens of thousands of people.  Using drones to locate mines increases safety in the process and decreases the long hours it takes to do this work.  Razom is working to deliver more of this tech enabled humanitarian aid in the right hands in Ukraine.

Given humanitarian needs change by the hour and come from multiple geographical points at the same time, Razom awards grants to grassroots initiatives in Ukraine who are responding quickly to the needs of civilians and internally displaced persons.  The program has grown significantly in the past weeks:

  • Volonterska UA was awarded $30,000 to deliver food and medicines to the elderly and people with disabilities in Kharkiv.  Their call center receives 1,000 calls daily and has built up a team that can process 300-350 requests per day.  
  • Ukrainian Charity Alliance was awarded $16,000 to create and deliver over 780 kits of food essentials that have a long shelf life for civilians with low mobility in the Kharkiv region.  They also provided humanitarian aid for shelters housing those that lost their homes in the bombing and occupation of regions surrounding Kharkiv.  World-renowned poet, writer, native-Kharkivian, and Razom partner, Serhiy Zhadan visited some of those shelters to help deliver aid. 
  • The Korsaks’ Museum of Ukrainian Modern Art in Lutsk was awarded $16,000 to help operate a shelter for evacuees and refugees in Ukraine.  In April alone, they provided shelter for 12,983 IDPs, including 120 permanent residents (all 30 days) and 1,163 temporary residents (4 days on average).  They converted a section of Adrenalin City (the local Lutsk mall) and adjacent hostel into a shelter filled with beautiful modern art from the museum founder’s personal collection.  The group runs frequent art, craft, yoga, breathing, dancing, and performance art workshops for kids and adults, providing ample opportunity for IDPs to rehabilitate and recover.

The latest tally from our Hospitals Team is that an estimated $7.5M worth of in-kind donations of medicine and medical supplies have been made thanks to organizations like Americares, MedShare, Partners for World Health, Direct Relief, and companies like Figs and Cabinet Health.  Razom has successfully delivered $3.7M worth of those donations to Ukraine. 

  • For example this week, 2,000 IFAKs donated by Direct Relief arrived in Razom’s warehouse in Ukraine and are ready for distribution.
  • The team also sorted through 8 pallets of individual in-kind donations at our New Jersey warehouse and reconfigured 3 pallets of the most urgent supplies to ship to Ukraine asap.

Razom’s Head of Major & Transformational Gifts, Olena Nyzhnykevych, took to the keynote stage at KubeCon in Spain this week to talk about what Razom is, how we’ve grown, what we’re working on as we scale up, and educate the open source and cloud native community about what Ukraine is going through right now.  There were 7,000 people in attendance in person and over 10,000 online.  

After three years, the St. George Ukrainian Festival is back in NYC which means that the famous Razom yellow couch and Face Box are back too!  Come join the Razom Lounge this Saturday and Sunday to learn all about our work in delivering aid and advocacy, pack some IFAKs, participate in an art workshop, and be together.  Before we open up the Lounge though, we’ll be marching on the Brooklyn Bridge.  Join us for the “Live Chain for Ukraine” on Saturday 5/21 at 12pm on theManhattan or Brooklyn side of the bridge and meet in the middle.  Spread the word, we will need a lot of people to make this a powerful event!

If you can’t be in New York City this weekend, there are so many other events around the country (including virtually!) to look forward to: 

In New York:

In Illinois: Today, May 20 at 6:30pm, theCobra Lounge in Chicago will host a benefit show titled “Punks For Ukraine” with all proceeds from ticket sales going to Razom. 

In Connecticut:  On May 21, a local group of runners in Cheshire, CT are hosting a 5K run/walk in their town to fundraise for Razom.  Learn more info on how to join them or contribute to their GoFundMe page go here. 

In Michigan:  On Tuesday, May 24 starting at 6:30pm, the Armory Brewing Company in Grand Haven will be donating a portion of their sales that evening to Razom! 

In California:  On Sat, May 28, the Riviera Village on Redondo Beach will have over 14 businesses donating 20% of their proceeds to Razom.

In Virginia:  On June 24from 6-19pm the Beach Gallery in Virginia Beach is hostinga Hope for Ukraine Art Show & Silent Auction with all proceeds going to either Razom or the World Central Kitchen.  

Virtually:  From now until May 31st, Ukrainian artist Mariya Zeltsman and Metaversero (World’s first XR NFT Marketplace) are selling NFTs to benefit Razom. 

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and continuing to #StandWithUkraine.

Stay Razom.

Newsletter #15: You’ll love these updates from 5 different Razom teams

Published: May 13, 2022   

Razom has significantly scaled and refined its operations in the past few weeks and we are so excited to share how the impact of that work and your donations grows.  We’ve also been hard at work advocating for Ukraine in the US and ask for your support below.  Each one of us can do something for Ukraine today, this weekend, and next week, so let’s get to it!

Dear Razom community,

Razom is always here, moving the needle to get us closer to Ukraine’s victory.  The war is still ongoing and there is still a lot of work to be done now that we’re 70 days in.  We need your support and we humbly share with you all that we’re able to accomplish thanks to your generosity .  Let’s keep it up!  

  • Three ambulances recently made it to Donbas to help care for the wounded on the front lines of the war there.  These ambulances made their way from Wales in England to Donbas in partnership with the United Ukraine Foundation in the UK.  Razom also helped outfit them with tourniquets, IFAKs, other important life-saving medicines, and 30 sets of uniforms to the firefighters of Kryvyi Rih. 
  • Here’s the final tally of the work the TacMed Team at Razom accomplished in just one week (5/2/22 – 5/7/22): 
    • Volunteers built and shipped 8,000+ IFAKs, potentially saving 8,000 or more limbs, or even lives.  The approximate value of them is $600,000.
    • Volunteers built and shipped 40 fully loaded tactical medical backpacks
    • These included 20,000 packs of QuikClot Combat Gauze, which are top of the line and extremely hard to procure these days, but of course Razom TacMed team secured them! 
    • It took 108 volunteers to get this much work done in one week.  We when we say urgent, we’re not kidding!  When we say #razom (“together”), we’re serious! 
    • We also shipped out several pallets of medical supplies, and items such as sleeping bags, stretchers, splints, tourniquets, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and burn treatment kits.
    • We started an initiative to include kids’ drawings, postcards, and letters packed into the IFAKs to encourage Ukrainian heroes.  If you or your children would like to contribute in this way, please send to:

  ENCOURAGE Ukraine
  57 Beach Street, Suite 306
  Staten Island, NY 10304

  • Meanwhile the Razom volunteers working at the warehouse across the ocean in Ukraine managed to distribute for shipment 40 orders of aid in only one day.  To date, Razom has processed over 600 aid requests from hospitals, field hospitals, and territorial defense units across Ukraine.  
  • So far this month, the MedGlobal team in collaboration with Razom and UMANA have trained over 150 doctors across 6 hospitals in Ukraine totaling 40 hours of trainings.  All of the hospitals visited are receiving wounded civilians and military patients, some as many as 40 such patients per day.  Training topics covered polytrauma, triage, FAST exam, blast injury, among others.
    • One of those butterfly ultrasounds that the MedGlobal team donated saved a life this month.  It uncovered pneumothorax in a patient, something that’s not visible on an x-ray. 

What’s one way you can advocate for Ukraine today?

Join us in support of a proposal to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for more disclosure about russian operations by US public companies. Razom signed the petition along with the Ukrainian-American Bar Association, Natalie Jaresko (former Finance Minister of Ukraine), and assistance from Andrii (Andrey) Galiuk from StopBusinessWithRussia initiative. 

It’s simple – russian taxes are funding the war in Ukraine, and we need more transparency. The world is watching, Ukrainians are watching.

You can find ways to help us further this work and become a part of the movement here:  https://www.razomforukraine.org/boycott-business-with-russia/

The Razom Advocacy Team is monitoring closely the advancement of the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act in the amount of $39 billion.

This is where we need your help!

The Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act will be up for a vote in the Senate soon and we want to make sure Senators know how their constituents – YOU – feel about passing the bill.  Click here to find out why this bill is important and needs your support, and click here to find out how to call your Senators and what to say to them.  Let’s help Ukraine win the war, together.

People around the world continue to be inspired by the perseverance and creativity of brave Ukraine and are coming together to do what they can to help.  Below is a roundup of events that fundraise for specific causes for Ukraine or expose you to amazing Ukrainian art and culture.     

In New York:

Online:  On May 17 DevOpsDays Ukraine (part of the global DevOpsDays family) is hosting a virtual conference benefiting Razom to to discuss DevOps during crisis, incident, and business continuity management and share Ukrainian DevOps expertise.

In Texas:This weekend Art of Peace, a group of Houstonians collaborating to help Ukrainian people, is hosting an art exhibition featuring 30 local artists with part of the proceeds benefiting Razom.   

In Washington D.C.:  On May 17 the US-Ukraine Foundation is hosting a fundraising event featuring Eurovision star, Roxolana, titled “Taking Back Z.”

In Pennsylvania:  On Tuesday, May 17 from 7:30-9:30pm at the Kresge Theater, the Carnegie Mellon School of Music presents a special concert to benefit the Ukrainian people featuring 17 members of the faculty, musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and students of the School of Music. 

In Connecticut:  On May 21, a local group of runners in Cheshire, CT are hosting a 5K run/walk in their town to fundraise for Razom.  Learn more info on how to join them or contribute to their GoFundMe page go here. 

In California:  On Sat, May 28, the Riviera Village on Redondo Beach will have over 14 businesses donating 20% of their proceeds to Razom.

In Virginia:  On June 24from 6-19pm the Beach Gallery in Virginia Beach is hostinga Hope for Ukraine Art Show & Silent Auction with all proceeds going to either Razom or the World Central Kitchen.  

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and continuing to #StandWithUkraine.

Stay Razom.

Security Update

Published: May 12, 2022   

It is a sad fact but fraudsters and scammers are prevalent on the Internet these days. They are feeding on extreme emotions and lure their victims to either donate or click on malicious links in the emails. Unfortunately Ukraine has been such subject most recently.

Since Russia-Ukrainian war, we received many reports of attackers setting up websites that resemble Razom brand and attempting to collect money on our behalf. We have been mostly successful at taking them down with the help of our lawyers.

In the past couple of days we have received a number of emails from website visitors informing us of a message popping up in their web browsers notifying them that “This Connection Is Not Private”.

We want to clear up the confusion and let you know that what is depicted was rather a technical issue which we successfully fixed with the help of our IT professionals. This technical issue in no way meant that any part of Razom’s website was compromised.

Please remember to double check that you are on the correct Razom page, and here is the list of official Razom resources:

Website: https://razomforukraine.org (not .com, not .net or .ua)

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RazomForUkraine

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razom.for.ukraine/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/razomforukraine

If you see any suspicious websites or social media accounts that impersonate Razom for Ukraine, and are different from our official pages above – please notify us at info@razomforukraine.org. Thank you!

Leaders of Different Ethnic Organizations in the U.S. Unite in Support of Ukraine

Published: May 11, 2022   

(Originally published by Voice of America) // (Опубліковано в «Голосі Америки»)

Representatives of different U.S.-based ethnic organizations call on Congress to support additional financial aid to Ukraine, in the form of the 33 billion dollar emergency supplemental request announced by President Joe Biden on April 28, 2022. A corresponding call to action was made by activists during a press conference in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, May 5, 2022.

The organizers of the event were local Ukrainian-American community organizations Razom for Ukraine and United Help Ukraine. Other US ethnic, religious, and human rights associations participated in the press conference. In particular, leaders of Polish, Baltic, Syrian, Afghan, and religious organizations were present.

“We, Poles and Polish-Americans, know very well the horrors of war–we’ve lived through this ourselves. And we also understand that the Ukrainians’ fight today is not only about their fight for their own country and their own freedom and sovereignty–which is very important–but also the fight for the freedom of all of Europe,” said Klara Wiśniewska, the spokeswoman for the Polish American Congress, in an interview with the Voice of America correspondent. She added “I am very happy to report that our organization has collected a quarter of a million dollars for displaced Ukrainians.”

Klara Wiśniewska, the spokeswoman for the Polish American Congress
Hurunnessa Fariad, Director of Outreach at Multi-faith Neighbors Network
Yaro Hetman, Senior Director of Innovation at Compassion International

According to the activists, most of the ethnic groups represented were forced to flee dictatorship and war in their own countries one time or another, so today they would like to unite in support of Ukraine. 

“The Syrian community, Muslim community, and all beleivers are with you. This is a “just war” – you are defending your country and your dignity. I’ve been to Lviv twice since the war began. Together with a team of doctors from my organization MedGlobal, we trained doctors and nurses in Ukraine. When Ukrainian doctors, officers, and representatives of the Ministry of Health learned that I had delivered medical aid in Syria, above all else they asked for us to prepare them for the probable use of chemical weapons,” commented Dr. Zaher Sahloul, representative of the American Coalition of Syria and President of MedGlobal (an international non-profit organization that provides medical services to the world’s most vulnerable groups).

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, representative of the American Coalition of Syria and President of MedGlobal
Director of Ops at Human First Coalition and AfghanEvac

During the press conference, organizers of the event announced the creation of an “American Coalition in Support of Ukraine,” which would unite different community groups in the U.S. Additionally, they announced the opening of Razom for Ukraine’s representative office in Washington, D.C.
“We have daily meetings with representatives, with politicians, so now we have official representation here in Washington – this is our first piece of news. The second – the creation of an American coalition in support of Ukraine. We want to unite all these people, communities, organizations, and institutions which already support Ukraine – so that we can cooperate together and have coordinated messaging, so that we can utilize all our channels to further the support of Ukraine,” announced Maryna Prykhodko, a Razom for Ukraine board member.

Представники різних етнічних груп, які проживають у Сполучених Штатах закликають Конгрес підтримати додаткову фінансову допомогу Україні, у розмірі 33 мільярдів доларів анонсовано президентом Джо Байденом 28-го квітня 2022. Відповідну заяву, активісти зробили в четвер 5-го травня під час акції навпроти Білого Дому, у Вашингтоні.

Організаторами події виступили місцеві американсько-українські громадські організації Razom for Ukraine та United Help Ukraine. До заяви також долучились етнічні, релігійні та правозахисні спільноти в США. Зокрема лідери польських, балтійських, сирійських, афганських та релігійних об’єднань.

“Ми, поляки та американські поляки, дуже добре знаємо жахи війни, ми самі це пережили. І ми також розуміємо, що нинішня боротьба українців – це не лише боротьба за свою країну за свою свободу та суверенітет, що дуже важливо, але це також боротьба за свободу усієї Європи, – розповідає кореспондентці Голосу Америки Клара Вишневська, представниця Польсько-американського конгресу у США і також додає, – Я рада повідомити, що наша організація зібрала чверть мільйона доларів для українських переселенців”.

За словами активістів, більшість етнічних груп у США були змушені тікати від диктатури, та війни у власних державах, тому сьогодні вони хочуть об’єднатись на підтримку України.

“Сирійська громада, мусульманська громада та усі віруючі люди – з вами. Це “справедлива війна”, – ви захищаєте свою країну і свою гідність. Я був у Львові двічі від початку війни. Разом із командою лікарів моєї організації MedGlobal ми навчали лікарів та медсестер в Україні. Коли українські лікарі, офіцери та представники Міністерства охорони здоров’я дізнались, що я надавав медичну допомогу в Сирії, вони зокрема просили підготувати їх до ймовірного застосування хімічної зброї”, – коментує Голосу Америки доктор Захер Салул, представник американської коаліції Сирії та президент медичної організації MedGlobal (міжнародна некомерційної організації, яка надає медичні послуги найбільш уразливим групам населення світу)

Під час акції організатори події оголосили про створення “Американської коаліції на підтримку України”, яка об’єднає різні національні групи в США. А також повідомили про відкриття представництва “Razom for Ukraine” у столиці США, Вашингтоні.”Ми маємо щоденні зустрічі із представниками, із політиками тож тепер ми маємо офіційне представництво тут, у Вашингтоні, – це наша перша новина і друга це – створення американської коаліції на підтримку України. Ми хочемо б’єднати усіх цих людей, громади, організації, інституції, які вже й так підтримують Україну. Для того, щоб ми спільно співпрацювали і мали однакові меседжі, щоб ми використовували усі наші канали для подальшої підтримки України”, – повідомила Голосу Америки Марина Приходько, членкиня ради директорів ГО Razom For Ukraine.

Maryna Baydyuk, Assistant Research Professor at Huang Lab; Assistant Research Professor at Georgetown University
Alex Kuzma, Executive Director at Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation

Дивіться сюжет Голос америки тут/Watch the news piece from Voice of America here: https://youtu.be/M9X9a-LPxLY?t=518

Дивіться прес конференцію тут/Watch the full press conference here: https://fb.watch/cRcxSAbX7t/

Спільну заяву читайте тут/Read the joint statement here: https://razomforukraine.org/joint-statement-on-inter-community-support-for-ukraine

Дивіться сюжет американського каналу Фокц про прес конференцію тут/Watch the Fox news piece on the press conference here: https://video.foxnews.com/v/6305792045112/

Emergency Supplemental for Ukraine

Published: May 10, 2022   

What is an Emergency Supplemental and Why Does Ukraine Need One?

War is expensive. Winning a war is even more expensive. We want Ukraine to prevail in this war, and Ukraine needs our help to do this.

The U.S. Congress and Administration have passed several large, historic, and bipartisan financial aid packages for Ukraine in the last two months. Among them: $3.5 billion in drawdown authority, $1.7 billion to ensure continuity of Ukraine’s democratic operations, and $650 million in military assistance to Ukraine. 

However, this is not enough for Ukraine to sustain itself in total war. Ukraine needs security and economic assistance to defeat russian aggression and provide basic commodities to people impacted by the war and russia’s incessant attacks on civilian areas.

As President Joe Biden announced in his May 9 statement, shortly after signing the groundbreaking Lend Lease Act for Ukraine, “I have nearly exhausted the resources given to me by a bipartisan majority in Congress to support Ukraine’s fighters. This aid has been critical to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield.”

The U.S. Congress is responsible for approving the spending of the U.S. Government, and the U.S. Administration may ask for additional money beyond approved budgets and spending schedules when the need for funds is too urgent to be postponed until the next regular annual appropriations act.

In light of this, U.S. President Joe Biden has requested the U.S. Congress to promptly pass the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act in the amount of $39 billion. This Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act is an emergency supplemental budget; many similar bills have been proposed and passed before, providing necessary funding for U.S. initiatives, both domestic and international. 

In order to keep Ukraine in the fight for democracy and freedom, Ukraine needs about $10 billion a year in assistance from its strategic partners, according to conservative estimates. However, a $39 billion supplemental budget for Ukraine would be a gamechanger, and, according to President Biden’s May 9 statement, the amount includes “military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine,” adding that “the plan was substantial in size, because the need is substantial:  we must stand by Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression.”

But there’s also good news on the horizon. On May 10, the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act passed the House. The next step is to have the Senate pass the bill. 

What can you do to help the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act pass? 

First, find your Senators. It is important that Senators hear from their constituents – the people that they represent, so please enter the zip code where you’re registered to vote. 

Second, call your Senator. Yes, calling is important. Someone from the Senator’s office may pick up and write down your message, or you may have to leave a voice message. This is normal and part of the process. Click here for more detailed instructions and a sample text. 

Third, in your message to your Senator, state your name and your zip code. Thank your Senator for their continued support of Ukraine and convey that their support of Ukraine is of utmost importance to you. Feel free to list a few reasons why you support Ukraine, i.e. you’re a Ukrainian-American, you believe in Ukraine’s fight for freedom and against tyranny, or you know someone currently in Ukraine who is affected by the war. 

Fourth, urge your Senator to do everything they can to pass the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act as soon as possible. 

That’s it! Thank you for being an advocate for Ukraine and using your democratic right to voice your concerns and priorities to the U.S. Government to help save lives and defend democracy.

Newsletter #14: We are 120,000 donors and volunteers strong and we still need your help

Published: May 6, 2022   

We hit 120,000 donors this week and it’s absolutely amazing.  The diversity of Razom’s network reflects the diversity of all the work we’re able to accomplish with your generous contributions.  We are all moving towards the same goal — Ukraine’s victory, and we’re doing it Razom.  Let’s keep it up.

Dear Razom community,

Ukraine is winning, big aid is moving, Razom’s impact is growing, but the war is still ongoing.  There is an incredible amount of work to be done.  Our volunteers, colleagues, and partners in Ukraine share this daily.  We are forever grateful for the support of our individual donors, and today, ask you to consider making another donation to Razom, no matter how big or small.  We need your support to keep going. 

Your contributions have real impact on the lives of Ukrainians.  Here’s a snapshot of some of the things we were able to accomplish this week: 

  • Razom’s Hospitals Team shipped an entire pallet worth of antibiotics thanks to a $10,000 grant from Morristown Medical Center received by fellow Razom volunteer and pharmacist Oksana Lytvyn.  
  • The team also obtained one pallet worth of sutures donated by Surgeon Ilkana M Gaffar on behalf of Kings County Hospital.  
  • To date, Razom has invested $925,362 into its logistical chain.
  • MedGlobal is in Lviv again for their second medical mission in partnership with Razom and UMANA.  They brought with them 150 suitcases of medical supplies and several more Butterfly Ultrasounds to donate to hospitals across Ukraine.  They continue to provide important training on trauma care and chemical warfare.   
  • Sometimes local NGOs and informal volunteer initiatives are best positioned to provide timely response to humanitarian needs that change by the hour and come from multiple geographical points at the same time, like they do in Ukraine.  That’s why Razom developed a grant program that awards grassroots initiatives in Ukraine to help civilians in hot zones.  Here’s some of what they’ve been able to accomplish:
    • Groups like Rescue Now and Жовта допомога Харкiв (2 of our 16 grant recipients) provide basic humanitarian aid (food, hygiene products, medicines etc.) to people in Kharkiv oblast, especially in recently liberated cities, towns, and villages in the region.  
    • Chernihiv in northern Ukraine suffered terribly at the beginning of the invasion and charity organization, З покликом у серці, is delivering aid to the region that was occupied for weeks without access to the supplies people desperately needed.
    • TAPS Dnipro provided 7,148 aid packages to internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Dnipro Volunteer IDP Center which receives on average 1,300 IDPs daily.  They used their $20,000 Razom Grant to deliver nine 20-ton trucks with humanitarian aid from Germany, Romania, Baltic States, Lviv and Vinnytsa.  With this investment we were able to support the center’s operations for an entire week. 

Razom held two press conferences on the same day this week, one in Lviv, Ukraine and another in Washington D.C.

In Ukraine, it was important that we amplify our reach so that we continue building out the network of people who need help and organizations that need partnership support.  You can watch the press conference here (it’s in Ukrainian) moderated by former Ambassador to Ukraine from Canada Andrij Shevchenko and featuring Razom Board Member Lyuba Shipovich, Razom dlia Ukraini Director Evelina Kurilets, and “Children We Will Make It” co-founder (and current head of Razom volunteer drivers) Vitalii Svichynskyi. 

The D.C. press conference brought together community leaders from Ukrainian organizations and partners from ethnic, religious, and human rights groups to voice their support for Ukraine.  Razom, United Help Ukraine, U.S. Ukrainian activists, and leaders of Polish, Baltic, Syrian, Afghan, Jewish, Muslim and human rights groups spoke all together in front of the White House.  You can watch it here. 

Razom also announced its intent to launch the American Coalition for Ukraine and deliver a Joint Statement on the Emergency Supplemental Appropriation for Ukraine.  You can find the full statement here.  

This is group advocacy work that everyone can take part in.  The $33B emergency supplemental aid package for Ukraine is currently awaiting congressional approval.  Call up your representatives so they know you support this package to get Ukraine closer to victory now.

People around the world continue to be inspired by the perseverance and creativity of brave Ukraine and are coming together to do what they can to help.  Below is a roundup of events that fundraise for specific causes for Ukraine or expose you to amazing Ukrainian art and culture.     

In New York:

Online:

  • Today, Friday May 6 is the last day to catch the International Muses Marathon to raise funds for Voices of Children featuring performances and appeal videos based on a personal Facebook Messenger conversation between the MAE director and Ukraine native Mikhail Zorich and his close friend, Irina, in Kyiv.  Type “100 Hours” in the comments section of the donation page.
  • On Tuesday, May 10 at  5pm PST the Los Angeles Center of Photography is presenting an online conversation with photographer Natalie Keyssar, sharing her experience covering the war in Ukraine.  The event will be moderated by LACP’s executive director, Dr. Rotem Rozental andNatalie will discuss and present her powerful, yet devastating photographs from the conflict.
  • On May 17 DevOpsDays Ukraine (part of the global DevOpsDays family) is hosting a virtual conference benefiting Razom to to discuss DevOps during crisis, incident, and business continuity management and share Ukrainian DevOps expertise.

In Illinois:Today, May 6 at 8pmChicago will host an EDM concert to benefit the current refugee crisis with proceeds going to Razom at Skyline Loft at the Bridgeport Arts Center.  

In Michigan:Today, May 6from 7-10pm the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts in Manistee, MI will be hosting a concert to benefit relief efforts through Razom.  More info here. 

In Texas:  Over the weekend of May 13, Art of Peace, a group of Houstonians collaborating to help Ukrainian people, is hosting an art exhibition featuring 30 local artists with part of the proceeds benefiting Razom.   

In Pennsylvania:  On Tuesday, May 17 from 7:30-9:30pm at the Kresge Theater, the Carnegie Mellon School of Music presents a special concert to benefit the Ukrainian people featuring 17 members of the faculty, musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and students of the School of Music. 

In Connecticut:  On May 21, a local group of runners in Cheshire, CT are hosting a 5K run/walk in their town to fundraise for Razom.  Learn more info on how to join them or contribute to their GoFundMe page go here. 

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and continue to #StandWithUkraine.

Stay Razom.

$40M to Help Ukraine. Razom Press-Conference in Lviv

Published: May 5, 2022   

5 травня 2022 року у львівському “Ukraine Media Centre” відбулась прес-конференція представників NGO “Razom for Ukraine” на тему “40 млн. дол. для допомоги Україні: як українські волонтери у США наближають нашу перемогу”.

З початку вторгнення Росії в Україну “Razom for Ukraine” поставила на паузу усі свої проекти й зосередилася на єдиному – допомогти українцям під час війни. За ці місяці за допомогою фандрайзингу організації вдалося зібрали 40 мільйонів доларів.

“З них вже на 27 мільйонів доларів вже закуплено товарів таких, як товари тактичної медицини, засоби комунікації, супутникові телефони, планшети, рації, дрони” – повідомила співзасновниця та віце-президентка NGO “Razom for Ukraine” Люба Шипович.

Спеціалізацією “RAZOM” є закупівля сертифікованих засобів тактичної медицини та доставка гуманітарної допомоги. Спочатку організація визначала та купувала необхідне самостійно, далі — налагодила комунікацію безпосередньо з військовими частинами та організаціями ТРО й почала отримувати запити безпосередньо від них. Військові найчастіше просили квадрокоптери, медичні аптечки та кровоспинні турнікети.

“За цей час війни нам уже вдалося виконати більше 550 заявок, які ми доставляємо напряму на передову. Тобто кінцевими отримувачами нашої допомоги є військові частини, госпіталі, організації територіальної оборони у прифронтових зонах” – поділилась виконавча директорка благодійного фонду “Разом для України” Евеліна Курілець.

Ще одним важливим напрямком допомоги “Razom for Ukraine” спільно з громадським рухом “Діти, ми встигнемо” стала евакуація діток з особливими потребами із гарячих точок та прифронтових зон. За два місяці волонтерам вдалося евакуювати 10 діток зі СМА закордон, а також вивезли до безпечних місць понад 500 дітей та жінок.

“Пізніше ми трансформувались і вирішили, що ми не тільки будемо евакуйовувати людей, однак, і доставляти ці надважливі вантажі, про які говорили попередні спікери. Ми доставляємо, фактично, гуманітарні вантажі, а назад веземо евакуйованих людей” – зазначив голова громадського руху “Діти, ми встигнемо” Віталій Свічинський.

Ініціатива “Razom for Ukraine” виникла ще під час “Революції Гідності” та об’єднала людей, не байдужих до української демократії. Сьогодні ж у США лише фандрейзингом займаються понад 100 волонтерів, працює лобістська команда, яка проводить зустрічі у Вашингтоні із Сенаторами та держслужбовцями США ТОП-рівня, а в Україні на складі організації працюють 45 осіб.

“Ми відкриті до співпраці і якщо комусь потрібна наша допомога, або хтось може нас підтримати – ласкаво просимо, ми відкриті до співпраці” – підсумувала прес-конференцію Евеліна Курілець.

Eva Kurilets (left), Vitaliy Svichynskyi (center), Lyuba Shipovich (right)
former Ambassador to Ukraine from Canada Andrij Shevchenko

On May 5, 2022, a press conference was held at the Ukraine Media Center in Lviv by representatives of Razom for Ukraine on the topic “$40 million to help Ukraine: how Ukrainian volunteers in the United States are approaching our victory.”

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Razom for Ukraine has paused all its projects and focused on one thing – helping Ukrainians in war time. During these months, the organization managed to raise $40 million through fundraising.

“Of these, $27 million have already been purchased for goods such as tactical medicine, communications, satellite phones, tablets, walkie-talkies, drones,” said Lyuba Shipovich, co-founder and vice president of Razom for Ukraine.

RAZOM specializes in the purchase of certified tactical medical supplies and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Initially, the organization determined and purchased the necessary items on its own, then established communication directly with military units and territorial defense units and began to receive inquiries directly from them. The military most often asked for quadcopters, first aid kits and hemostatic tourniquets.

“During this war, we have already managed to fulfill more than 550 requests, which we deliver directly to the front. That is, the final recipients of our assistance are military units, hospitals and field hospitals, territorial defense units in the frontline zones” – shared the executive director of Razom dlia Ukraini Evelina Kurilets.

Another important branch of ​​aid for Razom together with the social movement “Children, we will make it” was the evacuation of children with special needs from hotspots and frontline areas. In two months, volunteers managed to evacuate 10 children with SMA abroad and more than 500 children and women to safety.

“Shortly we have transformed and decided that we would not only evacuate people, but also deliver this crucial aid, which was mentioned by previous speakers. Thus, we deliver humanitarian goods, and we take the evacuated people back,” said Vitaliy Svichynskyi, the head of the movement “Children, we will make it”.

Razom for Ukraine originated during the Revolution of Dignity and brought together people who stand for Ukrainian democracy. Today, more than 100 volunteers in the United States alone fundraise for Ukraine, an advocacy team meets in Washington D.C. with top U.S. senators and government officials, and 45 people work in Ukraine.

“We are open to cooperation and if someone needs our help, or someone can support us – welcome, we are open to cooperation,” Evelina Kurilets concluded the press conference.

Boycott Business With russia

Published: May 4, 2022   

On May 4th, Ukrainians were joined by the Wall Street “Fearless Girl” to call for more transparency on companies continuing to do business in russia. Razom organized a silent “Save the Children!” Protest, whose message is simple – by continuing to do business in russia, companies are feeding the war machine and killing more Ukrainian children. Protestors held the signs like “Stop funding putin’s war!”, “Boycott Business With russia” as well as QR codes with links to websites tracking russia “remainders”, such as Yale russia list, Boycott russia, Stop Business With russia (SBWr), Squeezing putin, Don’t Fund War and Exit russia.

Photos by George de Castro-Day/@aperture.delta

Razom business advocacy team has been collaborating with some of these initiatives to bring attention to the companies still paying their tax dollars stained by blood. The protests are happening in different corners of the US and the world. Stop Business With russia activists have written more than 300 emails to company CEOs, investor relations and shareholders urging them to get out of russia. Ukrainian financial analysts are pouring over quarterly earnings reports to see that the companies are following their public announcements and are indeed leaving russia. The pressure is on!


Razom is proud to be part of the effort for more transparency – we joined the Ukrainian American Bar Association, and Natalie Jaresko (former Minister of Finance of Ukraine) in submitting The Russia Disclosure rulemaking petition to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requiring US public companies to disclose their business with/within russia and Belarus. The petition 4-784 is now available on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website. Our proposal, if adopted, will provide critical information for investors, who may prefer to distance themselves from the financing of war crimes entirely, and also evaluate the risks of further sanctions, boycotts, reputational/ESG risks, and increased costs stemming from continued operation in russia. 

CALL TO ACTION: You can help make this common-sense disclosure a reality with ~10 minutes of your time:

1. SEND A LETTER TO THE SEC: Email a note explaining why you support the proposed Russia Disclosure to rule-comments@sec.gov. The subject line of your message MUST include the 4-784 file number for the petition. Ok to attach a PDF.

2. WRITE TO YOUR SENATORS / CONGRESS REPS (or better call them) – relevant contacts based on your address available here: https://lnkd.in/dR32pE96. Request/suggest that they: (A) Send a letter to the SEC in support of the Russia Disclosure Petition 4-784, and (B) Support or co-sponsor “H.R.7228 Reveal Risky Russia Business Act” introduced by Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) on March 24 (https://lnkd.in/dPXjWEaq) or introduce their own bill.
As Andrii Galiuk from SBWr initiative explains: “Why is there both an SEC Petition and a Congress Act pursuing similar disclosure requirements? Good question. SEC can introduce a new disclosure requirement independent of Congress, solely based on the Petition, but it may also deny the petition and do nothing. Alternatively, US Congress can require SEC to introduce the disclosure – that’s how Conflict Minerals and Iran Business disclosures came to be. Of course, Congress requiring the disclosure in a bill would be optimal. But for now, both paths are viable and worth pursuing”.

3. SHARE THIS WITH YOUR NETWORK on social media. Tag political and civic leaders, and journalists who can help raise awareness.

4. Write letters to companies remaining in russia on Yale russia list, corporate emails are listed here https://emailcontactukraine.com/

Joint Statement on Inter-Community Support for Ukraine

Published: May 3, 2022   

The ethnic and religious communities we represent believe in democracy, human rights, and freedom. We call the United States home but share historic experiences of oppression, violence, and war — many times also at the hands of the Russian regime. We wholeheartedly support Ukraine in its fight for these values. 

We praise the United States for its support of the Ukrainian people defending their homeland. We applaud the great Ukrainian community in the United States for their efforts to support Ukraine. The United States must continue to support Ukraine militarily, financially, and materially on any and all levels possible. We urge the United States government to do all within its power to continue providing the Ukrainian people with the assistance they need in their fight for freedom, justice, and truth. 


Ukraine must prevail as quickly as possible to stop the loss of life and begin rebuilding. We call on Congress to immediately pass the emergency supplemental appropriation for critical security and economic assistance to Ukraine.

Newsletter #13: Our commitment is unwavering – Razom’s latest updates

Published: April 29, 2022   

Razom’s commitment to delivering life-saving aid into the right hands in Ukraine is unwavering.  In this newsletter you’ll find the latest about that work, as well as about the diverse collection of events happening all over the world to get yourself involved in helping Ukraine.

Dear Razom community,

Your donations coupled with the volunteers who work every single day, including weekends and evenings, to drive impact as fast as humanly possible, make a difference.  Remember this, because Ukraine still needs you. 

Below is a snapshot of some of the work we’ve been able to accomplish lately, by no means is this an exhaustive list:

  • Partners for World Health and Razom Hospitals team applied and received a UPS air shipping grant that was used to ship 42 pallets of medical supplies and equipment that will be received by our on the ground partners in Ukraine, Zdorovi.  This shipment included an AED machine, Autoclave, Anesthesia GE Datex Ohmeda Machine, Crash Cart, Portable Ultrasound, and Patient Monitor, amongst other supplies.
  • Razom has an unofficial branch in Canada thanks to a group of incredible volunteers.  To date, 76 pallets of medical supplies have been shipped from therethat include tourniquets, hermostatic bandages, splints, portable ultrasound machines, and so much more.  Big thanks go out to Meditek Canada, Hamilton Health Sciences and a number of private clinics, who made large in-kind donations to Razom.
  • MD Luke Tomycz, Neurosurgeon and co-founder of Razom’s The CoPilot Project spearheaded an effort with the Razom Hospitals team to send 2 pallets of critical neurosurgical supplies to Ukraine.  We partnered with international NGO CMMB to procure neuro supplies from Integra.  We also helped procure epilepsy medication that has been distributed to displaced children from Donestk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions currently in Dnipro.  
  • Cabinet Health, a company that provides plastic-free packaging for everyday over-the-counter medicines, has generously donated 8 pallets of necessary OTC medications to the Razom Hospitals team.  We are grateful for our partnership with Kyiv Alliance and Help Heroes of Ukraine who transported these pallets from Tennessee to New York. 
  • Razom Hospitals team is also helping to address sexual violence and abuse in Ukraine.  In cooperation with Leda Health, we are sending 500 forensic rape kits to support justice for the victims of sexual violence in Ukraine. 
  • To date, Razom has delivered over 4,000 walkie-talkies, 700 civilian drones, 250 satellite phones, and 200 tablets to territorial defense units, rescuers, paramedics, and volunteers in Ukraine to help deliver humanitarian aid safely and effectively and provide rescue support.  
Volunteers at our warehouse in Ukraine
Razom volunteers in Canada

Razom has partnered up with Nova Ukraine and United Help Ukraine to collectively raise $20,000 to purchase 300 Starlink kits and distribute them across Ukraine.

101 cities currently don’t have internet because russian missiles and army have destroyed or severely damaged infrastructure.  Ukrainians need stable connectivity to keep a lifeline to their loved ones and manage their daily lives – work remotely, pay bills, receive medical care, etc.

Please do your part in connectivity enablement in Ukraine by contributing to this specific project here.

People around the world continue to be inspired by the perseverance and creativity of brave Ukraine and are coming together to do what they can to help.  Below is a roundup of events that fundraise for specific causes for Ukraine or expose you to amazing Ukrainian art and culture.     

In New York:

  • Tonight and tomorrow (4/29 and 4/30) from 7-9pm, Soapbox Gallery in Brooklyn will run a tribute to Ukrainian music and culture, providing a platform for over 20 artists to react to today’s events from multiple perspectives and provide a fresh look at Ukraine’s musical roots and identity.
  • Tonight, 4/29 at 7pm and 9:30pm join us at the documentary film screening of The Will To See, and engage in conversation with filmmaker Bernard-Henri Levy at Quad Cinema benefiting Razom.  
  • On Saturday, 4/30 at 5pm at the Tribeca Film Center / Tribeca Screening room,the Directors Guild of Ukraine and New York film club Kinovino are organizing the fundraising film screening of Ukrainian documentary Enticing, Sugary, Boundless or Songs and Dances about Death.  A Q&A with the film’s director Tania Khodakivska will follow.
  • On Saturday, 4/30 from 2pm – 9:15pm The Otto’s Benefit for Ukraine at Otto’s Shrunken Head in NYC will have a lineup of singer songwriters and bands with all proceeds from the concert going to Razom. 
  • On Saturday, 4/30 from 3:30-7:30pm the Hudson Valley Relief Benefit will feature guest speakers, music, food, and a silent auction.  Get you tickets and join Novellas Restaurant in New Paltz, NY to support Razom’s Emergency Response project!
  • On Sunday, May 1 at 11am Chobani SoHo Cafe and Razom are collaborating on a fundraising event.  Stop by and try some special creations off the menu and help Ukraine. 
  • On Tuesday, May 3 at 7pm the Church Street School for Music and Art in NYC will host a Concert For Ukraine featuring violinist Nadia Khodakovska and members of CSSMA faculty.  All proceeds will go to Razom.  To reserve tickets email tobywine@churchstreetschool.org.
  • On Saturday, May 7 Gold’s Gym in Poughkeepsie, NY is hosting the 8th Annual Peace and Harmony Invitational with all proceeds benefiting Ukraine.
  • On Friday, May 20 and Sunday, May 22 at the Ukrainian Museum, Director and Producer Andrea Odezynska debuts her new feature-length environmental documentary, Return Sasyk to the Sea, which spotlights the destructive legacy Ukraine inherited as a former member of the Soviet Union. 

Online:

  • On Saturday, April 30 at 10-11:30am Pacific time Barnsdall Arts is hosting a Ukrainian Art Workshop via Zoom to learn about Petrykivka painting.  All proceeds go to Razom.
  • On Saturday, April 30 at 1pm EDT, Weave A Real Peace (WARP) will host Ukrainian textile artists Halyna Shepko (New York), Daryna Alieksieienko (Kyiv), Andriy Pyshkar (Ternopil), and Yaroslava Tkachuk (Lviv) for a discussion about their work within the Ukrainian weaving traditions.  Continuing Textile Traditions: Ukraine is a special program (online) to raise relief funds for Razom. 
  • On May 17 DevOpsDays Ukraine (part of the global DevOpsDays family) is hosting a virtual conference benefiting Razom to to discuss DevOps during crisis, incident, and business continuity management and share Ukrainian DevOps expertise.

In New Jersey:  On Sunday, May 1 at 2pm EDT the Ukrainian American Business and Professionals Association and artist Dianna Derhak will host Sunflowers for Ukraine – Paint Sunday Fundraiser with all proceeds going to support the Ukrainian Documentary Film Project about the current war.

In Wisconsin:On Sunday, April 30 from 10am-3pm, DeBerge’s Framing and Gallery in Kenosha, WI will host an open house selling ribbon embroidery art by Slava Buchkovich and t-shirts designed by Annya Knautz, with some of the proceeds benefiting Razom. 

In North Carolina:  On Sunday, May 1, 7-9pm EDT the Arts Center of Carrboro, NC will host an Evening of Bold Stories to support Ukrainian refugees.  

In Michigan: On Friday, May 6from 7-10pm the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts in Manistee, MI will be hosting a concert to benefit relief efforts through Razom.  More info here.

In Texas:  Over the weekend of May 13th, Art of Peace, a group of Houstonians collaborating to help Ukrainian people, is hosting an art exhibition featuring 30 local artists with part of the proceeds benefiting Razom.   

In Connecticut:  On May 21, a local group of runners in Cheshire, CT are hosting a 5K run/walk in their town to fundraise for Razom.  Learn more info on how to join them or contribute to their GoFundMe page go here. 

In Copenhagen:  On May 5, the Academic Council of Eastern European Studies will host an all-day conference at the University of Copenhagen – Østeuropastudiers Ukrainefestival. 

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and continue to #StandWithUkraine.

Stay Razom.