Razom Health Powers Up Ukrainian Hospitals

Published: February 27, 2023   
This winter, Razom Health team, together with Americares, Zdorovi Agency, and Patients of Ukraine, delivered 11 high-power generators to Ukrainian hospitals located near the frontlines and in partially occupied territories.

In October 2022, russia put extra effort into targeting and massively destroying civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Regular waves of missiles and kamikaze drones were aimed at power plants, transmission lines, and other civilian objects. In November, it got to a point where some regions lost power, heat, and water entirely. The air raids damaged over 50% of the power system. Until this day, emergency blackouts in some areas of Ukraine last 10-12 hours or even more.

Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, a big part of Razom’s budget has been allocated to aid medical facilities in Ukraine. Razom Health team quickly mobilized to help Ukrainian healthcare system and provided overwhelmed healthcare facilities with critical medicines, medical supplies, and equipment.

Razom’s partnership with Americares has been instrumental in supporting Razom for Ukraine’s mission. Since March 2022, Americares has provided over $70 million of aid to 74 organizations assisting those affected by the war in Ukraine. To Razom, they have generously donated crucial hospital supplies in the early stages of the war and continue being an ally in aiding the Ukrainian healthcare system.

Yoanna Ivaniv, Razom Health coordinator of Americares partnership, says working with them has been a great success. With the Americares grant of $250,000, Razom officially started a project to supply Ukrainian hospitals with high-power generators. 

...Americares' Ukraine Response Team was actively looking for ways to support Ukrainian hospitals' energy needs… The relationship we've had with Razom since the early-days of our response, coupled with their clearly laid-out plan, made the entire team at Americares comfortable supporting Razom in such a critically needed and time-sensitive project.

Jack O'Rourke – Deputy Field Team Lead, Americares Ukraine Response

The first step was contacting our partners on the ground – Zdorovi Agency and Patients of Ukraine – to determine which hospitals were the priority. Both NGOs worked on aiding and developing healthcare in Ukraine before the war and developed advanced logistics and reporting systems. They vet the hospitals, complete thorough monitoring protocols, and have full transparency in their reports.

Razom Health worked with Patients and Zdorovi for many months, together completed multiple projects, and developed a trusting relationship. These organizations helped select the hospitals in need using the following criteria:

  • immediate proximity to the frontlines
  • multiple departments
  • ED (Emergency Department)
  • ICUs (Intensive Care Units)
  • multiple ORs (Operating Rooms)
  • heavy patient flow
  • ability to build a platform for generator installation

Initially, with the data from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 22 medical facilities were selected for the project. Razom sent energy specialists and engineers to assess the facilities’ needs and capacity. As a result, 11 hospitals signed the agreement with Razom and started building the sites for the generators.

Meanwhile, Razom made a procurement offer using Prozorro – a decentralized public platform that ensures open access to procurement orders (tenders) in Ukraine. There were two competitive offers from Ukrainian companies, and the one with more experience in the field was chosen.

So far, 9 of 11 generators have been delivered and installed in hospitals in the Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Odesa regions. With $40,000 saved from the grant, Razom plans to procure and deliver another generator to one of the hospitals affected by the war.

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Nataliia Tulinova, a founder and CEO of Zdorovi Agency, has recently visited 21 medical facilities in Kherson, a region that remains under severe missile attacks. She says Kherson is not yet a part of the centralized database for medical facilities in Ukraine because it was under occupation when the database was created. Therefore, they do not receive the aid as promptly as other regions.

One of the most pressing concerns is landmine injuries. As terrifying as it sounds, the hospitals need surgical drills and saws used for amputations. Neurosurgical microscopes, ICU beds, commode wheelchairs, and diagnostic equipment like portable ultrasound and x-ray machines are also on the list of required equipment for patients found under collapsed buildings and injured by shellings and explosions.

Thank you for helping and being Razom.

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Winter in Bakhmut

Published: February 6, 2023   

“This is our native land. We are not going anywhere. We are Donbas.” 

“I have a lot of elderly relatives here. I can’t leave them.”

“Everywhere is dangerous. The entire country is under fire. At least here we’re home.” 

These are just a few quotes from people who, despite vicious daily attacks, remain in Bakhmut. russian airstrikes and shelling destroyed the infrastructure, leaving them with no water, electricity, or heat. Out of 72 000 residents, only about 6000 stayed, including 200 children. They are encouraged to leave by both the authorities and the volunteers, who offer regular evacuations. However, due to various personal circumstances, people stay. They are not many, but they are resilient.

The horrid reality of the “russkiy mir” (“russian world”, “russian peace”) isn’t new to Bakhmut’s natives. In April 2014, pro-russian forces managed to capture parts of the city, but after a few months of fighting, ZSU (The Armed Forces of Ukraine) and The National Guard expelled them from the area. With the start of the full-scale invasion, Bakhmut Raion (district), yet again, turned into a war zone. 

KiyvPost
KiyvPost

Winter escalation in the Battle of Bakhmut left its residents without food, water, medicine, communications, and other most basic necessities. The besieged city is struggling to stay standing, and the continuous bombardment of the area hinders humanitarian aid. And yet, in spite of all the obstacles, Ukrainian volunteers move mountains.

Razom saw the exigency of the situation and, with help from the Lackland Family Foundation and UJA-Federation of New York, provided monetary grants to the Ukrainian NGOs working in Bakhmut. Being on the ground and listening to people’s needs, they are able to provide quick and targeted assistance.

“We have to keep working. We must let them [Bakhmut residents] know they are not alone. Their compatriots did not abandon them. Ukraine did not abandon them.”

– Says Oleksii Kurtsev, a co-founder of Ukrainian Charity Alliance, an NGO helping underprivileged and vulnerable groups since 2018. Razom partnered with UCA in May 2022 and provided them with multiple grants for humanitarian aid.

The latest grant of $30,000 is directed to help the population of the frontline territories. Because of the developed logistics and systematic approach, the UCA team quickly and strategically delivers aid to the newly liberated territories and hot zones. Each humanitarian convoy makes a few stops in multiple cities and evacuates people to safety on the way back. To Bakhmut, they delivered 600 shelf-stable grocery sets. One set will feed one person for at least a month.

Another amazing NGO helping Bakhmut residents is called “Svitliachky Blago” (“Fireflies for Hope”). Siranush Arutiunian-Bozoian started this initiative in 2015. Over the years, she organized countless events to raise funds to purchase medical equipment for public hospitals and clinics and aid social institutions like orphanages and IDP centers in the Donetsk region. Heartbreakingly, Siranush was ill and has recently passed, but her life and work touched and inspired many people. The team of “Fireflies” that she brought together continues spreading light and kindness.

In response to russian aggression and the growing humanitarian crisis, “Fireflies” formed a permanent hub for receiving and distributing humanitarian aid and organized delivery and supply of first-aid care, medication for post-chemo treatments, cancer treatments, and epileptic patients. So far, Razom Grants has provided “Fireflies” with three grants totaling $30,000. The most recent grant of $8,000 was allocated specifically for Bakhmut Raion and already allowed for forming and distribution of almost 1000 grocery sets. 

A grant of $10,000 was awarded to “Angels of Salvation,” a charity organization founded by citizens from Donetsk and Luhansk regions who’ve known war since 2014. Just a few days after the invasion, they started evacuating people and, in April 2022, formed a team of 60 co-owners, set up two warehouses, and built a fleet of 25 vehicles. Svitlana, “AoS” project manager, says there are no weekends at war. Every day volunteers risk their lives to aid people in need.

With the help of Razom’s grant, “Angels of Salvation” purchased fuel, delivered 457 hygienic kits serving approximately 800 Bakhmut’s residents, and evacuated 17 people on the way back. Some people were sick, and volunteers transported them to the hospital; others went to the safer areas, each of them with just one small bag. Reuters has recently reported a story of a six-year-old girl rescued from Bakhmut. In one of the videos, you can see Razom care packages with hygienic sets delivered by volunteers.

“Adrenalin” – a Kharkiv sports club turned volunteer organization – had also recently made a trip to Bakhmut. Volunteers delivered 800 grocery kits and 300 blankets to four Points of Invincibility – the aid stations equipped with wood-burning stoves, generators, heaters, Starlinks, and kids’ play areas – and brought trench candles, canned food, and candy to the soldiers. This trip was just one of the many made possible by the $30,000 grant from Razom.

Ruslan Bayramov, the president of “Adrenalin” and Kharkiv’s resident, seems unfazed by the situation in Bakhmut. He’s used to the reality of war:

“We went there on January 13 and faced no difficulties that day. Maybe we’re used to it now… You can hear gunfire and explosions around the clock. An enemy quadcopter was hovering above us.”

Razom started aiding NGOs working in Bakhmut in April 2022. “Bakhmut Ukrainian” has been active since 2014 when Bakhmut faced the first signs of “russkiy mir”: public disturbances, illegal armed groups, and refugees. Razom awarded them with a $25,000 grant that has helped thousands of people in the Donbas region during Spring-Summer 2022. BU volunteers provided people with food, medicine, hygienic products, candles, blankets, sleeping bags, thermos vacuum flasks, generators, and more.

Multiple volunteers confirm – many organizations responded to the emergency, and Bakhmut is now pretty well supplied with food. However, the need for water is urgent because of the destroyed infrastructure. It gets to the point where people drink boiled water from Bakhmutka River. The residents also need flashlights, batteries, candles, and biomass briquettes (biofuel), among other things.

Please, consider donating to Razom Grants to help us further aid volunteer organizations in Ukraine. 

Razom x Face to Face Medical Mission

American doctors in Ukraine
Published: November 5, 2022   

During September 16-24th, Razom facilitated a medical mission for the group of 11 American doctors and nurses from AAFPRS (American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) to deliver advanced reconstructive surgeries and corrective plastic procedures to patients who suffered as a result of russia’s war on Ukraine. In the spirit of collaboration and learning, American and Ukrainian colleagues worked side by side at the medical facility of Ivano Frankivsk Oblast Hospital.

On May 22, 2022, we received an email that read:

“My name is Dr. Manoj Abraham and I am a Facial Plastic Surgeon based in New York.  I am the Chair of the Face To Face Committee, the humanitarian arm of the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and I am a Governor for the American College of Surgeons.  We are looking to partner with anyone sending medical teams to safe areas in Ukraine or surrounding areas to help treat those with facial injuries from the war – we have experience doing this previously in Croatia.  We will need to connect with hospitals and doctors in the local area to help coordinate, and I am hoping you can put me in touch with anyone who can help with making these arrangements.  My contact information is listed below.  I look forward to hearing from you.  

Thanks, Manoj”

This email started a massive collaboration that resulted in the Razom x Face to Face Medical Mission, giving 31 Ukrainians, military and civilians alike, extremely complex reconstructive surgeries and a chance to have a normal life.

Our team immediately saw the incredible potential and the major challenge of implementing such a mission, especially in the ongoing war. At first, it seemed almost impossible to find and connect all the dots to make it happen. Even the American College of Surgeons sadly informed Dr. Manoj T. Abraham:

“Many of you have reached out to us, asking how you can contribute to the care of victims in war-torn Ukraine.

At this time, no current role or mechanism exists for safe travel to help in person.”

But Razom’s team decided to embrace the challenge. We mobilized all connections and resources available to us to ensure that such an altruistic and invaluable for Ukrainian people intention becomes a reality.

Razom for Ukraine has been bringing doctors from the US to Ukraine since 2016 to work with surgeons on the ground and perform neurosurgery as a part of The Co-Pilot Project initiated and run by Razom’s co-founder Mariya Soroka and her husband, Dr. Luke Tomycz, Neurosurgeon at The Epilepsy Institute of New Jersey. The project has been a huge success and has given us a decent network of Ukrainian and American healthcare professionals and partners.

American doctors in Ukraine

Hundreds of hours, miles of correspondence, and countless Zoom calls went into planning this mission. First, we connected with Dr. Ivanka Nebor – ENT doctor, founder, and president of INgenius, a platform for the development of medicine and science in Ukraine. Thanks to her professional network of young physicians in Ukraine, we were able to install the first wheel to the Face to Face vehicle. 

We needed a hospital with operating theaters, postoperative care units, inpatient wards, and possible intensive care units. It was vital not to disrupt the care that was already being provided to the patients. The Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Clinical Hospital and Ukrainian ENT doctor Natalia Komashko and her team courageously embraced a massive workload by taking on a lot of challenging cases in a short period of time.

American and Ukrainian
Dr. Natalia Komashko and Dr. Ivanka Nebor

Finding the Ukrainian doctors and a hospital both interested and able to facilitate the American doctors’ efforts was only the beginning. Ahead of us laid a lengthy and complex process of recruiting and screening the patients. INgenius has utilized its platform and social media outreach to spread the word.

Patients’ stories moved, shook, and horrified us. The survivors of russian aggression hailed from locations notorious for war crimes and atrocities, such as Bucha, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Izyum. Repairing facial scars could be the final stage in their arduous medical journeys, allowing them to finally get closure, feel whole again, and return to society. Understanding that recuperation and readjustment to society are greatly aided by psychological rehabilitation, Razom invited our “Razom With You” therapists from the Ivano-Frankivsk Support Center to help the patients cope and process what happened to them.

English subtitles are available for this video

There were a large number of applications, but only the 34 most complicated ones could be selected. Not only did the patients need all of the supporting medical documentation for the screening process, but they also had to be physically able to withstand long hours of complicated surgeries.

After months of planning, long hours of surgery, and heartbreaking patient stories, this mission has deeply touched every participant. The American doctors’ and nurses’ incredible selfless devotion to helping people will long be remembered and appreciated by all Ukrainians.

Manoj T Abraham — MD
Bruce Moskowitz — MD
Augustine Moscatello — MD
Sherard ‘Scott’ Tatum — MD
Ivanka Nebor — MD
John Frodel — MD
Grigoriy Mashkevich — MD
Luke Tomycz — MD
Glenn Castaneda — MD
Boris Chernobilsky — MD
Susan Ketigian — Nurse
Debbie Fritz – Nurse
Lindsey Norrito — Surgical tech
Maria Soroka – Razom, Project Manager
Oksana Falenchuk – Razom, Project Manager

The goal of this mission isn’t only to perform the medical procedures but to teach the Ukrainian doctors employ these incredible technologies in their practice. Throughout the entire week, all surgeries were broadcasted and available live for all medical professionals in Ukraine to observe and learn. Razom’s focus was always to support the democracy and prosperity in Ukraine, and modern healthcare is a vital part of any society. We strive to continue developing the avenues for education and experience exchange on both sides of the Atlantic by implementing more missions and projects that aid this process.

Please, donate to help us rebuild Ukraine and ensure that Ukrainian people have access to technologies available in the modern healthcare field

Razom Says Dyakuyu – Thank You – to Fox Rock Foundation

Published: October 10, 2022   

We are excited to share with you our series Razom Says Dyakuyu. “Dyakuyu” means “thank you” in Ukrainian. Our work supporting Ukraine would not be possible without the generous donations made by donors. This series highlights some of the amazing philanthropists and unique fundraisers that have supported Razom.

Razom is delighted to announce that we received a $1,000,000 donation from Karen and Rob Hale through their family foundation, Fox Rock Foundation.

“We are pleased to support Razom in their emergency response in Ukraine, which will enable them to continue to scale their emergency response to the unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We are impressed by the impact of their dedicated work to deliver life-saving medical supplies to people who need them most and inspired by their work to support internally displaced people by providing food, water, and shelter through a vast network of nonprofit partners on the ground in Ukraine,” said Karen Hale.

Fox Rock Foundation is a private family foundation established by Karen and Rob Hale and their adult children, Trevor, Thomas, and Brett, to inspire health in our communities and our environment, with more opportunity for all.

The foundation’s current focus is a series of grant partnerships with small and midsized nonprofits making a difference on a variety of causes in New England and beyond. Fox Rock Foundation builds on the philanthropy of Hales’ other charitable funds, like Granite Gives Back and FoxRock Cares. Through numerous giving channels, the Hale family has pledged or donated more than $300 million to a broad range of worthy causes. Razom is honored to be among this year’s beneficiaries. Forbes featured their remarkable philanthropy in a recent story: www.forbes.com.

The Hale family’s generous contribution is a sizable part of the $64M raised by Razom since February 24, 2022. All funds are directed to the immediate emergency response in Ukraine and have helped Razom to ship over 400 tons of medical equipment:

  • 16 3136 tourniquets; 
  • 90 000 first aid kits;
  • over 1,303 tactical medical backpacks; 
  • 100,000+ chest wound seals;
  • over 300 wound vac machines. (The Razom Impact Report, July 2022)

Additionally, Razom has provided grants to over 100 volunteer organizations in Ukraine that work tirelessly to deliver food, water, and shelter to people in hot zones, including recently liberated regions. Delivering help to Ukrainians, Razom drivers have driven farther than circling the globe seven times!

The Fox Rock Foundation donation started with a voicemail left at the Razom office in May. Razom volunteer, Yulia O’Connell, returned a call to the foundation and was asked to tell them about Razom. Yulia shared from the heart and told the Fox Rock Foundation leader why she has volunteered with Razom from the moment she moved to NYC. (Yulia is from Donetsk and spent several years living in Moscow.)

Since its establishment in 2014, Razom has created an inspiring community-building spirit and developed incredible patronage programs. For example, Veteranius is a project that supports Ukrainian veterans in embarking upon a career in IT. Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is a Ukraine-based NGO reminiscent of Habitat for Humanity that rebuilds schools, community centers, and housing for internally displaced Ukrainians.

Yulia also described how Razom volunteers in the US and Ukraine jumped into action in February to galvanize a robust first aid response, bringing much-needed medical aid to the front lines and Ukrainian hospitals. A few days later, Yulia received another call from the foundation and was thrilled to learn that Razom would receive a $1M donation from Fox Rock Foundation. The foundation representative explained that they wanted to support Razom because it was an established organization with a long track record supporting Ukrainian causes. It had the infrastructure to process the donation efficiently and get help to Ukraine quickly.

Razom extends a heartfelt dyakuyu – thank you – to Fox Rock Foundation for their confidence and trust in Razom’s mission.

School of soft skills development. Summer camp for children of ukrainian defenders

Published: October 9, 2022   

Society bears particular responsibility for a special category of children – children of Ukrainian defenders. This category of teenagers is outside the regular agenda of social and psychological projects, but they experience tremendous emotional tension caused by the war and family losses. Some of them have been experiencing war trauma since 2014. Against the backdrop of the war, Ukrainian teenagers are dealing with regular challenges of their age: immersing in the outside world, getting to know it, testing their capabilities in it, and figuring out a way to realize their potential.

The formation of healthy values shapes the capacity of the next generation to build a happy and prosperous future in Ukraine. Caring about the future of Ukraine, Razom fully sponsored a project called “School of soft skills development SSSD” designed and implemented by the Ukrainian NGO “ReSOURCE” and their team of experienced educators, psychologists, coaches, and activists.

From August 15 to 23, 2022, they organized a summer camp for teenagers from the families of Ukrainian soldiers who died defending their homes and those who continue fighting for peace and freedom on their land. Forty-six teenagers (12-16 yo) spent nine days at the sanatorium “Dibrova” in the Kyiv region. They had full board, attended workshops and excursions, and relaxed and socialized with peers.

Every participant got to learn how to:

  • assess their capacity for offline learning after almost two years of attending classes only online;
  • listen to each other and communicate productively;
  • work effectively in teams;
  • believe in themselves and inspire others;
  • share individual experiences;
  • respect and hold each other up.

Statistics of the 9-day program:

  • 30 hours of studying;
  • 20 hours of cultural and educational workshops;
  • 6 hours of joint teamwork on self-started projects.

During the workshop “Ukrainian charms” on the first day of camp, the participants made patriotic guardian angel charms and bracelets. Some kids even made several charms to gift to their family and friends.

Soulful conversations and evenings together created unique emotions and joy that helped the teenagers get to know each other. They shared personal experiences and sang Ukrainian songs supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the Karaoke evening “Guess the Melody.”

Together drew the picture “Ukraine is all of us!”; presented short TikTok videos “Soft skills of teenagers”; and simply chatted while playing board games. 

One of the days, they watched the movie “Miracle” and discussed the questions about the meaning of life, family, friendship, love, and, most importantly, choosing to do good at every stage of life.

Another day, during the English-speaking club, they developed a business project called “Around Ukraine.” Working in teams, the participants chose exciting places in Ukraine they’d like to visit with friends, developed the route, supplies, and marketing plans, and then presented their business plan in English.

Morning group exercises energized and prepared the participants for the daily workshops. Inspiring hikes along the Ros River and the Arboretum of Oleksandriia provided an opportunity to learn more about the history and culture of the place where these children grew up. During the breaks, they talked about the Victory and plans for the future.

During the whole stay at the camp, each participant had the opportunity to receive individual psychological support on the issues concerning them.

This help wasn’t imposed, but instead offered casually during daily life. At times, psychologists and coaches supervising the camp noticed the change in the mood, behavior, or unwillingness to partake in one task. They asked them questions, trying to get to the root of the problem and find a solution together.

These conversations addressed a variety of issues: concern for the fate and health of parents fighting at the front lines; parents’ divorce; social anxiety; struggling with self-presentation and self-expression; isolation (as a result of remote schooling); inner conflicts in teams; uncertainty in choosing a future career.

The coaches were thrilled to see the drive, enthusiasm, and openness to knowledge that teenagers took with them into the world, and the feedback was the most gratifying thing:

“Everyone has to experience this.”

“This is a school that prepares for real life.”

“I finally became myself.”

“Incredible project.”

The “ReSOURCE” team completed this project with great faith in Ukrainian youth and admiration for their capabilities, ideas, and desire to do great things for the country. After all, youth is the driving force of any society, and Razom and “ReSOURCE” are happy to help Ukrainian children grow.

The Razom Grants team aims to help local Ukrainian volunteer organizations to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the war.

Additional donation options available at www.razomforukraine.org/donate