Newsletter #23: Your Latest News from Razom

Published: 4 Серпня, 2022   

Razom continues to work tirelessly to defend Ukraine’s freedom because it means saving lives and building a more prosperous Ukraine.  These past few weeks, we’ve worked on scaling and systematizing our work between Ukraine and the U.S. as some of our team traveled to Ukraine.  We’re still organizing rallies every week, breaking our own records of the number of IFAKs we pack in a day, supporting our partners, and delivering on the most urgent needs of first responders, defenders, hospitals, and IDPs in Ukraine.  Whether you can give $10 or $1,000, every little bit helps.

Dear Razom Community,

We hope you caught our Impact Report published last month on our emergency response work since the start of the invasion in February.  The scale of the work is immense.  It simply would not have been possible for us to achieve so much without your support, and for that we are grateful.  But we have a lot more to do and we are committed to sharing in the work with you, so without further ado-

When some of our US-based team traveled to Ukraine last month, Razom hosted a mini conference in Lviv to bring together our Ukrainian team, partners, volunteers, and grantees, and discuss how we can help each other to be as efficient as possible to make sure Ukraine wins this war with the minimum possible price in human lives and suffering.

  • Even though on that Saturday of July 16 Lviv had an air raid, our gracious hosts at the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) gave us access to a venue space that also doubled as a bomb shelter, allowing 150 people in attendance to carry on with the conference without interruption. 
  • Dozens of organizations took part in the event including: Nova Ukraine, Patients of Ukraine, Zdorovi, BUR, Promprylad, Teple Misto, Avtomaidan, Rescue Now, and the Bohdan Havrylyshyn Family, among many others.
  • Honored guests of the event were UGCC Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, historian and publicist Yaroslav Hrytsak, musician and gallerist Pavlo Gudimov, and public and political figure Yulia Marushevska.

In July, Razom volunteers at our New Jersey warehouse set a new record of the most IFAKs assembled in one day — 3,076!  Despite the hot weather, the team unites every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to pack all kinds of supplies, from things that stop the bleeding to tactical medical backpacks.  In the past month alone, they’ve assembled 30% of the 80,000+ IFAKs we’ve been able to ship to Ukraine since the invasion.

The continuous support of organizations in the US making in-kind donations of medical equipment and medicines to Razom has kept us incredibly busy fulfilling the deliveries of that aid with the help of our partners on the ground like Zdorovi and Patients of Ukraine. 

  • Razom procured Medela WoundVacs along with all the necessary consumable parts (canisters & foam dressings) to be distributed throughout Ukraine. This equipment is headed to the hospitals in dire need of wound vacs, as a result of traumatic injuries inflicted on Ukrainian population. 
  • Americares, one of our most generous partners who continues to send medications and medical supplies to hospitals all over Ukraine, procured supplemental nutrition for Ukrainian Hospitals. This highly caloric supplemental nutrition ensures that patients get all the nutrients they need while healing.  Zdorovi is in the process of distributing this donation among the regions with most need.
  • Direct Relief also continues to support Ukraine via Razom by delivering 18 medical backpacks filled with first aid medicine and supplies.  They’re in the process of being distributed by our team to paramedics who will utilize them to save lives en route to Civilian Hospitals. 
  • A 40ft sea container of durable medical equipment (walkers, stretchers, wheelchairs, crutches, hospital beds) is on its way to Razom’s warehouse.  This was made possible due to the generous donations from our partners at AFYA Foundation.  We’ll be assembling and shipping another 40ft container here in Yonkers soon.
  • 80 women’s kits with hygiene products, medicine, emergency contraception and water purifiers donated by Leda Health and Voice Amplified were distributed in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions (areas currently under occupation) by our partner March for Women’s Rights (@marshzhinok).



Please join us in Washington, D.C. for a Ukraine Action Summit!  We invite individuals organizations — not just Ukrainian groups, either! — who are invested in advocating for Ukraine to Washington from September 18-21.
This Action Summit will be an opportunity for organizations and advocates all over the U.S. to coalesce in Washington, D.C. It will be an opportunity to exchange best advocacy practices and to continue educating our elected representatives about why the U.S. must continue helping Ukraine prevail.  The Action Summit will consist of:
1) an Advocacy Workshop,
2) a roundtable discussion with all representatives of organizations who are present,
3) meetings with congressional offices, and
4) a reception in the Rayburn House Office Building.

Your voice is critical both to our joint advocacy efforts, as well as to ensuring that members of Congress understand how important it is to help Ukrainians prevail against this ruthless invasion.  Please be sure to register here.
by August 30, 2022.

The form will ask you to indicate whether you are joining as the representative of an organization, and whether you have experience with advocating elected officials.
The Ukraine Action Summit is sponsored by organizations in the American Coalition for Ukraine.  Look out for more info on each organization!

This Saturday, August 6th at 3pm, we will have a silent protest across 9 locations in Manhattan.  If you’d like to participate, please submit your information using this link: https://tinyurl.com/59yfmwft

We will hold the photographs of the war to show all the atrocities and devastation that #terrorussia brought to Ukraine.  The war is not over.  #StandWithUkraine and join our silent protest!

Цієї суботи, 6 серпня о 15:00, ми проведемо мовчазний протест у 9 локаціях на Мангеттені.  Якщо ви бажаєте прийняти участь, надішліть свою інформацію за допомогою цього посилання: https://tinyurl.com/59yfmwft

Учасники будуть тримати в руках фотографії, що демонструють жахи і руїну, що принесла росія на Українську землю.  Приєднуйтесь до нашої акції на підтримку України!

There are a lot of amazing folks around the globe organizing events and fundraisers in fun and interesting ways, and we will continue to spotlight those that cross our radar.   

Online: a round-up of incredible Ukrainian art for a cause!

  • Black and White Project Space is sponsoring Buy an Icon – Save a Life in Ukraine art auction featuring the work of Ukrainian artists Sonia Atlantova and Olexander Klimenjko titled Icons on Ammunition Boxes.  Since 2015, they have painted on wooden fragments from military ammunition boxes left by russian soldiers on the battle fields in Eastern Ukraine, found by Ukrainian deminers and rescued by medical volunteers from the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital (PFVMH).  100% of sale proceeds will go to PFVMH (ПДМШ), a Razom grantee partner.  You can learn more about their amazing work here.    
  • Awethentic Gallery has curated an Art for Ukraine collection featuring paintings and prints from a variety of renowned Ukrainian artists.  Some of their works focus on the recent Russian invasion while others focus on the beauty of Ukraine.  In the collection, 20-100% of the net proceeds will go to Razom and the World Central Kitchen.  
  • The Art Auction for Ukraine showcase will continue to run until Sunday, August 14th providing access to the work of Ukrainian artist, both local and living in Ukraine right now while fundraising for Razom and Nova Ukraine.

In New York:

  • On August 13th and 14th at 7:30PM, the Irondale Ensemble Project in Brooklyn will bring “Mom on Skype” to New York City audiences.  In a bomb shelter in Lviv, Ukraine, a young soldier on duty, rehearses a play that he has directed about the separation and disconnection of children and parents.  His cast is comprised of 9 children between the ages of 10 and 14 including his own daughter.  Children who, overnight, have had to deal with the realities of missiles directed at them, bombs falling around them, and the fear that at any moment a family member or they themselves might die.  Come see these incredible kids and support their trip to the US!
  • On Saturday, September 24th, 6AM-6PM, New York Cycle Club’s 28th Annual Escape New York Ride (ENY’22) will have an opportunity to fundraise for Razom.  Use Code RAZOM2022 to save $20 on registration and donate $22 of the registration fee to Razom.  Riders who raise $500 or more will win a free jersey! For further details, visit enynycc.org/causes.
  • On Thursday, October 6th from 6:30-10PM the Ukrainian Institute of America is hosting the Sunflower Gala fundraising for Razom’s humanitarian relief work.  The evening will include a special menu designed by Veselka, and special performances by Pavlo Glyntov, Vira Slyvotzky, Alisa Smarichevskaya, and opera singer Ludmila Fesenko. 

In Illinois:

  • Join Chicago from August 10th-12th to break the Guinness World Record for the largest cereal box mosaic by building a Ukrainian flag at the iconic Grand Banking Hall of Wintrust Financial.  Your donations to the Chicago Children United for Ukraine Cereal Box Mosaic Project, coupled with Kellog’s donation of 5,000 boxes of cereal, will allow us to raise money for Razom’s work and that of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. 

In New Hampshire:

  • On Sunday, August 12th, 3-9PM, Bradford, NH is hosting a Stand With Ukraine Fundraiser at the Bradford Center Meetinghouse with all proceeds going to Razom.  Join us for an afternoon of Ukrainian food and song, a local silent art auction, and music.  Bring your picnic blankets and your own bowl, cup and cutlery to refuse waste. 

In Minnesota: 

In the UK: 

  • On Wednesday, September 7th, 7-9PM the Young Professionals of the Danish-UK Association welcome Londoners to come and enjoy their end of summer concert at Box-Park Wembley.  All proceeds from the evening will benefit Razom. 

Continuing our Razom Says Dyakuyu (“thank you” in Ukrainian) series, we want to spotlight some amazing stories of generosity, support, and simple organizing to fundraise for Razom’s work in helping Ukraine.  We’ve collected a lot of these stories over the past 4+ months, and they continue to sustain us and inspire us. Check out our Updates for the full stories.

Thank you so much for reading this newsletter, for keeping up to date with Razom, and for your support of Ukraine.  We’re so glad you’re with us.

Stay razom.