The city of Kharkiv and surrounding areas in northeastern Ukraine have been at the forefront of the war since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Despite relentless shelling and attacks and because of Ukrainians’ toughness and fortitude, the city remains in Ukraine’s hands.
This year, there has been an escalation in fighting around Kharkiv, with Russia launching a new offensive in early May 2024.
Ukrainian forces are battling to hold back the Russian advance, with the villages of Lyptsi and Vovchansk being among the most vulnerable places. As the fighting intensifies, the number of people forced to flee their homes continues to rise. The most recent reports indicate that more than 5,900 people have been evacuated from the region, highlighting the desperate situation for civilians.
Vovchansk:
The town of Vovchansk, once a bustling community of 20,000 people, has been reduced to a ghost town due to the ceaseless bombardment. Only a few hundred residents remain, trapped in a war zone with dwindling supplies and limited access to essential services.
Razom’s Partners and Grantees are on the Ground:
“During the evacuations, all volunteer teams came under fire. One of the vehicles was completely shot up by the occupiers. The driver was wounded, but luckily everyone survived, thanks to the fact that this particular vehicle was armored. Most of the vehicles have “volunteer” written on them, but this does not stop the enemy. Civilians were also among the injured, who were wounded by Russian occupiers with weapons. People carry small bags with them, because there is no time to linger, and they did not plan to leave their homes. Among them are many middle-aged people (50+) for whom it is difficult to leave their home, their property, their livestock, everything that made up their life. However, evacuation is necessary to save lives,” says Vladislav Kulov, Kharkiv Media Hub, Razom’s partners.
Lyptsi:
Just south of the ravaged Vovchansk lies Lyptsi, a village of roughly 4,500 people. While not as heavily bombarded as Vovchansk, Lyptsi’s fate is just as brutal. The village was occupied in the early days of the war by Russia and then retaken by Ukraine later in 2022. However, with the renewed offensive, Lyptsi finds itself back in the hot zone. Residents there are facing renewed shelling or possibly another occupation.
Razom has been working tirelessly to facilitate evacuations and provide aid to those displaced by the war.
Razom’s Partners and Grantees on the Ground:
“We are evacuating people from Lyptsi. Indeed, not only people. Today there were two dogs, chickens with chicks, a guinea pig, and a dozen ducklings. People are scared, sometimes very nervous. Most of them have already been under occupation. They say: ‘We won’t survive another time; they will kill everyone’. The process can be very difficult, some people hope that it will pass somehow, that there is still time.” – Oleksiy Almazov, Ukrainian Frontiers (Українські Рубежі), one of Razom’s grantees.
Your Support is Crucial!
The people of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region are facing unimaginable hardship. With your support, Razom can continue to provide life-saving assistance and help to evacuate.
Donate to Razom for Ukraine today and make a difference in the lives of those affected by the war.
An update on our Kakhovka dam response and how you can continue to support our work addressing the devastating consequences of the catastrophe, and a plea to advocate for #UkraineInNATO in the run-up to the Vilnuius NATO Summit on July 11-12. Get plugged in to our advocacy work to learn about what Ukraine needs, now, to win.
Dear Friends of Razom,
Thank you so much for your generous outpouring of donations and support following the urgent appeal to help victims of the devastation caused by russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka dam on June 6th. The consequences of this disaster — human suffering and ecological devastation — will likely be felt for years to come.
Very early on our team understood that to respond effectively, we needed to find long-term solutions. That’s how within a couple of weeks since the disaster, 10 water purification systems are already being installed in settlements across Kherson and Dnipro regions where there is no more water supply. This will provide drinking water for up to 36,000 people per day (more than 1 million per month). Razom is also providing for the replacement materials needed to service the stations long-term and for the water quality to remain high. We had worked effectively with WiseWater, an ingenious Ukrainian manufacturer who adapted these filtration systems with German parts for minimum human intervention and maximum efficiency and reliability, since May 2022 to help supply drinking water to Mykolaiv in the south and Konstantinivka in Donetsk region after russians bombed water pipelines there.
Our emergency response in Kherson also included Razom Relief releasing grants to several grassroots organizations within our network to mobilize quickly to offer humanitarian aid, evacuations, and refugee support in areas north of the region. Our partners Rescue Now, set up a base in Kherson that serves as a logistical hub for humanitarian aid for numerous NGOs and as a temporary shelter for evacuees. With support from Razom, they purchased 5 five-seater boats, 8,500 liters of bottled drinking water, 41 water filters, 600 water disinfection tablets, 300 blankets, 30 tourniquets, 38 fishing suits, 6 Ecoflow charging stations and hundreds of liters of fuel for the buses that transport the humanitarian aid. Meanwhile our partners, “Zakhyst” from Khmelnytskyi, are able to support up to 1,000 refugees with basic essentials and therapy in partnership with our “Razom With You” project.
Razom is multifaceted support for Ukraine which means that Razom Advocacy has been hard at work mitigating the longer term consequences of this disaster and helping Ukraine prevent future russian-made catastrophes. Over 2,000 advocates in our network across the US were mobilized to contact their Congressional representatives and ask for support for the resolution declaring Ukraine’s invasion as genocide (H.Res. 154 / S.Res. 72). You can join that network here. The team has also worked to connect Ukrainians deeply affected by the flood with major media outlets so that the stories of Ukrainians in the region are heard.
You can find a deeper report of our Kakhovka Dam response here on our website.
Our team at Razom Advocacy is laser focused on advocating for policy that will help Ukraine achieve swift victory. In the run-up to the Vilnius NATO Summit on July 11-12, we’re calling on the United States to join allies like France and the UK to invite Ukraine into NATO. Ukraine, Europe’s best hope for lasting peace and security in Ukraine and Europe. Join us on social media by posting about #UkraineInNATO – check out our thread andjoin us! Want to be more involved? Our team has launched a weekly series of talking points/legislative asks for nationwide advocacy efforts. This document provides a list of critical legislation and messages about what Ukraine needs, now, to win. Also our next Ukraine Action Summit will take place on October 22-24, 2023 so save the date and join us so that we can reach more of our elected representatives! In April, our team and the American Coalition for Ukraine convened gathering over 300 constituents from 34 states to receive advocacy training and meet with their members of Congress to advocate for policies to help Ukraine. Together, we reached 33% of US Congress.
Over the past several weeks, various Razom team members have traveled to Ukraine, London, and Oslo to connect with and learn from civil society leaders, further strengthen our partnerships, and hear directly from people on the ground on priorities, efforts, and challenges surrounding the war. We are lucky to work with such dedicated and inspired individuals, partners, and allies.
It was an honor to participate in the Oslo Freedom Forum and share stories of resilience and blueprints for victory with the global community of activists present. Eva Kurilets, Razom’s Executive Director in Ukraine, spoke on a panel alongside Taiwanese legislator and metal band singer Freddy Lim, Syrian refugee and human rights activist Omar Alshogre, and Washington Post journalist Josh Rogin, highlighting the solidarity between Syrians, Ukrainians, and the Taiwanese in their fight against a network of violent, autocratic regimes. It was spectacular to hear and see so much solidarity and support for Ukraine across so many different communities and struggles for freedom, human rights, and dignity and connect with like-minded and motivated civil society leaders from around the world.
A Razom-supported feature documentary Rule of Two Walls had its World Premiere at Tribeca 2023 with 4 sold out screenings, each attended by the filmmaking team as well as the artists that were featured in the documentary to make sure there is a strong Ukrainian representation at one of the largest international film festivals in New York City. What’s more, this talented team walked away from the festival with a Special Jury Prize for Human Rights and Artistic Expression!
Klondike will have its US theatrical release on August 4th, 2023 from Samuel Goldwyn Films!
Razom proudly supported Klondike at its Sundance Premiere – and it is one of the most acclaimed titles from last year’s Sundance, where it picked up the top directing awards in its World Cinema Dramatic category. Maryna Er Gorbach’s Klondike premiered just weeks before russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Set in 2014, Ukraine’s Oscar entry for International Feature follows a pair of expectant parents living in eastern Ukraine near the frontlines of the Donbas war. After an international air-crash catastrophe elevates the tension enveloping them, pregnant Irka (Oxana Cherkashyna) refuses to be evacuated and leave her home, even as their village is captured by russian armed forces.
Razom is partnering with PBS to support the US theatrical release of an award-winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol opening July 14th at the Film Forum in NYC.
February 2022: As russian troops advance on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a small crew of Associated Press reporters are trapped amongst the besieged civilian population. 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL — winner of the 2023 Sundance Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary — is the unflinching visual chronicle of this harrowing ordeal. Ukrainian war correspondent Mstyslav Chernov (he directs, shoots, and narrates) and colleagues are the only international correspondents left in the city, witnesses to the first sighting of a “Z” on a russian tank (a declaration of war), random shelling, the bombing of a maternity hospital, the digging of mass graves, and russia’s eventual encirclement of the city. Their images of war crimes would soon go viral, potently exposing russia’s monstrous lies that deny their targeting of Ukrainian civilians, and earning the AP team two 2023 Pulitzer Prizes: for Public Service Journalism and Breaking News Photography.
To celebrate Crimean Tatar Flag Day and the Crimean Tatar Muslim holiday of Kurban Bayram, you’re invited to join us tomorrow, Sat July 1st at the Ukrainian National Home to celebrate Crimean Tatar culture through music, dance, and food. Do not miss this opportunity to learn more about the indigenous people of Ukraine! More info and here.
If you’re in the Berkshires July 1st or 2nd, then don’t miss this event!
With an immersive installation that will transform the theater into an ancient Ukrainian forest, this production centers around a classic Ukrainian art film of the same name. It pushes the boundaries of traditional musical performance while exploring what a group of talented, multicultural musicians have created, using traditional Ukrainian folk music as source material, and sharing immigration and refugee stories. Details & tickets here.
PROBASS ∆ HARDI– Ukraine’s top trending electronic band is launching its first tour in the US! Their hit songs such as “Good Evening, Where Are You From? (Good Evening, We Are From Ukraine)” and others have been streamed over 80 million times. Get your tickets here before they sell out!
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter (and forwarding it on!), for keeping up to date with Razom, and for your support of Ukraine. We’re so glad you’re here.
Within hours after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, Razom employed its developed network of grassroots organizations in Ukraine to assess the needs and start helping people in the Kherson region.
Russian deliberate actions caused a humanitarian emergency. Water from the Kakhovka water reservoir flooded wide areas, endangering and forcing thousands of civilians to leave their homes.
Our partners, Rescue Now, have been evacuating civilians and animals since the first hours. With a $25k grant provided by Razom, they have also been delivering needed supplies, including drinking water, food, hygiene products, evacuation boats, and charging stations. The team coordinated with governmental first responders to reach all places in need, despite the constant shelling and missile attacks on the region. Within only 5 days, Rescue Now also set up a humanitarian base in Kherson, which serves as a logistical hub for humanitarian aid for numerous NGOs and as a temporary shelter for evacuees.
Rescue Now, with support from Razom, responds to the emergency on the ground in Kherson
Razom Health team worked with the Ministry of Health in the Kherson region and local NGOs and went to Kherson within the first day. We delivered medicine and protective clothing to local hospitals taking in patients and survivors of the floods. In the following week, our drivers embarked on multiple trips to continue supplying hospitals. Our team in Kyiv packs the supplies while a smaller team loads up the vans and sets out to make the deliveries of aid all over the affected areas of Kherson. This way, we ensure that not a single minute is wasted.
Razom team in Ukraine works daily on humanitarian deliveries to the Kherson region
Our team members making the deliveries speak to people on the ground and learn what their needs are to communicate them to the Razom community, including our large network of local NGOs. Many of our partnering organizations and grantees are on the ground in the Kherson region as well. Volonterska, HelpGroup, Stezhka Dodomy, Ukraina SOS, Fight for Rights, and many others have been delivering humanitarian aid to people in the region.
NGO Volonterska delivers humanitarian aid from Razom in the Kherson region
Two days following the destruction, NGO “Zakhyst” from Khmelnytskyi met the first evacuees. Using a $50k grant, they support the evacuation of 1,000 people from the flooded areas of the Kherson region, welcomed and provided them with essentials such as hygiene products, clothing, and food right at the train station upon their arrival. The organization also provided evacuees with psychosocial support.
GO “Zakhyst” welcomes refugees at Khmelnytskyi train station
While out teams continue to support people amidst humanitarian crises, Razom also works to mitigate the long-term consequences of the disaster and help Ukraine prevent future russian-made catastrophes.
On the day following the destruction, Razom Advocacy team in DC immediately picked up the work. The destruction of the Kakhovka dam fits the centuries-old pattern of colonial violence and is yet another manifestation of Russian genocidal intent in Ukraine — we work to make sure the world hears that. Therefore, we reached out to more than 2,000 people in our advocacy network and mobilized them to contact their Congressional representatives and ask for support for the resolution declaring Ukraine’s invasion to be genocide (H.Res. 154 / S.Res. 72).
We have also been working to connect Ukrainians affected by the flood with media outlets so that their story can be heard by the world and increased our engagement with elected officials and their staff to keep decision-makers aware of the latest updates directly from the ground in Kherson.
The destruction of the dam caused an environmental disaster and permanently disturbed the region. As a result of russian terror, the Kakhovka water reservoir disappeared, leaving tens of thousands in the entire south of Ukraine without access to drinking water. Razom Relief team earlier installed multiple water filtering stations in Mykolaiv and Donetsk regions together with Ukrainian partner Wise Water, and now we are working to procure these stations in Kherson and provide stable access to water.
Kherson still needs help. We continue supporting evacuees who lost their homes and delivering life-saving medicine to hospitals that are taking people from affected regions. Our teams in Ukraine, alongside our local partners, will make more trips to the Kherson region to bring humanitarian aid to those in need. Razom Relief team talks to local organizations to start future projects in the region.
We work with our numerous partners in Ukraine and employ all our resources to ensure the help arrives when and where it is needed, and we ask for your support.
Razom and Nova Poshta signed a memorandum of cooperation, which provides for cooperation on psychological rehabilitation and career counseling of veterans, inclusivity programs for the company’s clients, provision of tactical first-aid kits to Nova Poshta employees working in front-line areas, and more.
“We are extremely grateful to Nova Poshta promptly responding to our invitation to cooperate. This is an excellent example of true corporate social responsibility and a powerful manifestation of the leadership’s civic stance, which the company has demonstrated more than once. Thanks to our cooperation, we will be able to help people suffering from the war even more effectively and increase the volume of humanitarian aid,” says Evelina Kurilets, Executive Director of Razom in Ukraine.
In addition, Nova Poshta became a partner in the Razom Toy Drive project. The company’s couriers will personally deliver birthday gifts to the children of fallen heroes.
“As part of the project, we will not deliver parcels, but dreams! For the recipients – the children of the Heroes – our couriers will turn into real magicians who will deliver a fulfilled wish from hand to hand. The plan is to send thousands of parcels, and therefore to receive thousands of happy children’s smiles!” says Olena Plakhova, Director of Reputation Management of Nova Poshta.
“Nova Poshta” is a Ukrainian international group of logistics companies, the leader of express delivery in terms of the volume of parcels delivered in Ukraine. The company provides businesses and individuals with a full range of logistics and related services. It was founded in 2001.
The “Humanitarian Post of Ukraine” program was created by Nova Poshta as a response to russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Since then, it has become a reliable logistical arm for the volunteer movement of Ukraine. Learn more about the program and how to use it at https://humanitarian.novaposhta.ua/
Razom has opened its third psychological support center – now in Khmelnytskyi – all under our “Razom With You” project.
On February 27, Razom’s reps in Ukraine along with the organization “Zakhyst” opened a “Together with You” (“Razom з Тобою”) Psychological Support Center in the Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi. Free assistance will be provided here to those affected by the war: internally displaced persons, families of prisoners of war and deceased, relatives of military personnel and others.
The center’s team of experienced psychologists and social workers will help these individuals adapt to new living conditions and cope with the psychological impact of their war-related experiences. Those interested in the center’s services can easily make an appointment with a psychologist or request a consultation online.
Similar “Razom with You” centers also operate in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk. The opening of this new center in Khmelnytskyi was made possible by a generous grant from Direct Relief – our sincere thanks to them!
Support Razom’s mission to improve the mental health of those affected by the war – learn more about Razom with You and please consider making a donation today.
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.
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.
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.
PLEASE DONATE TODAY TO HELP RAZOM HEALTH SUPPORT UKRAINE’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Proper professional education and training start with sharing of expertise and experience. Razom’s Co-Pilot Project has had this approach as its cornerstone for the past five years, bringing American surgeons to Ukraine to provide their Ukrainian colleagues with hands-on trainings.
And now, Co-Pilot Project has just been described and discussed in the Lancet Neurology, one of the most reputable journals in the clinical neurosciences, which is heavily read by clinicians. As the journal’s website states: “With an Impact Factor of 59·935, we are the world-leading clinical neurology journal, ranking first among 212 clinical neurology journals globally (2021 Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate 2022).” Thus, the article is expected to have high visibility and response.
The article entitled “Urgent need for neurological care in Ukraine” serves as a call for aid to help improve neurological training for Ukrainian surgeons. The members of the neurosurgery and neurology communities “urge our colleagues in the medical community to join us in our efforts to improve neurological care in Ukraine.”, – reads the article. The authors “have compiled a list of urgent needs, as directly requested by local practitioners (appendix).” They encourage neurosurgeons and neurologists “to join our trips to Ukraine to provide in-person assistance and training” and health professionals “to contact their medical institutions and enquire about equipment and supplies that could be donated.” The authors highlight the key role of Razom in monitoring “the use of funds along with the delivery and utilisation of donations.”
Such training in advanced surgical skills is now more vital than ever, as many Ukrainians are being severely injured and wounded in the russian-Ukrainian war. We are deeply grateful for the support of the neurosurgery and neurology communities. Special thank-yous go to Luke Tomycz, Christopher Markosian, Oleksandr Strelko, Andrii Sirko, Mykhailo Lovha, Rocco Armonda and all the authors for their assistance in spreading the information about the CPP project and the current needs of Ukrainian surgeons.
Razom is multifaceted support for Ukraine: to stop the shelling (Advocacy), to stop the bleeding (delivering Tactical Medicine), to keep people alive (at Hospitals), to keep Ukrainians connected (with radios, generators), to connect the world to Ukraine (with you). We are committed to victory.
Dear Razom community,
This is our first newsletter of the year and it’s been too long since the last, so you will see a lot of updates from us in this edition. After our year-end holiday fundraising drive (we raised over $8MM, you are all absolutely incredible), the Razom team decided to take stock of its work and impact in 2022 to effectively plan for 2023 (while still delivering on our programs). To do this required comprehending the sheer scale and length of this war, which at times feels like a herculean effort. So does thinking it will go on for another day, and another.
In the span of nearly one year, Ukrainian Armed Forces, perhaps the most diverse army in the world today (made up of professionals, musicians, ballet dancers, olympic athletes, history teachers, journalists, volunteers, sons & daughters and moms & dads… did you know that 1 in 6 people in the Ukrainian army are women?) have defended Ukraine and freedom against an imperialistic, genocidal power with massive consequences. Razom has supported these First Responders and Defenders from the start, and will continue to do so.
In the span of nearly an entire year, Ukraine’s healthcare system has withstood extreme pressure and strain that has risked and scarred the lives of countless individuals across the country as this war is not only impacted on the battlefield, but in the systematic bombing of hospitals, schools, malls, theaters, apartment buildings, homes, key water and energy infrastructure, and more. Razom has supported doctors and hospitals in the hottest regions across Ukraine from the start, and will continue to do so.
In the span of nearly an entire year, there’s been a renaissance of NGOs in Ukraine that have stepped up in incredible ways (much like during the Maidan of 2013-2014 when Razom itself was born) supporting a vibrant civil society. Razom has supported these grassroots organizations in Ukraine from the start, and will continue to do so.
All of these targeted efforts on their own, save lives, and when put all together, move Ukraine forward in winning this illegal war. Ukrainians have resisted and beat back this horror for 356 days now, but need your continued support today as ever before. Every time you donate, forward this to a friend, repost and tweet, call your representatives, rally, engage with the things that Ukrainians create – you become a part of the resistance and the victory.
In just the first half of February, Razom teams delivered a total of 132 orders to First Responders and Defenders, most of them in the east of Ukraine. We also transferred 4500 IFAKs to a major military unit so that they can be deployed quickly in case of an escalated assault on the one year anniversary of the full-scale invasion. In the months of December, January, and part of February, Razom fulfilled 641 orders (out of 745 which also went to medical facilities and NGOs) of tactical medicine and communications equipment to First Responders and Defenders. We constantly monitor requests so we can respond quickly with the supplies needed most that save lives.
Our team in Ukraine also launched an innovative collaboration to provide meals-ready-to-eat (MRE) that are made in Ukraine. We’ll share more in our next newsletter issue, but you can preview it here Проект «Космічний харч» – Razom (razomforukraine.org).
Each order makes it to the end user thanks to the effort of many hands. We are streamlining our processes so we can keep getting more efficient. Our Razom office in Lviv today was busy with people processing paperwork on deliveries that have gone out this week and preparing the next shipments.
Our support for the Ukrainian healthcare system is formalized under the project Razom Health, whose activities have evolved into a diverse set of programs and strategic partnerships designed to not only support the system during wartime, but strengthen medical care in Ukraine for the future in line with Razom’s mission. Here is a spotlight of some of our work over the past two months in gathering medical supplies, planning out the logistics of their delivery, and coordinating medical missions:
With grants from Americares and others, Razom Health was able to cover the costs of procuring, delivering, and installing backup hospital grade power generators and winterization equipment. So far three out of eleven generators have been installed (which includes training Ukrainian medical workers to use the equipment) and three oil heaters delivered in the Dnipropetrovsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Thanks to a grant and your generous donations, Razom Health was able to procure, set up, and distribute (with some still in transit to our warehouse in Ukraine) over 120 portable Butterfly ultrasounds so that doctors and paramedics on the front lines of the war can diagnose and treat patients faster, more accurately, and in a non-invasive way in wartime conditions.
In partnership with our friends and distribution partners Zdorovi in Ukraine, an anesthesia machine from Partners for World Health was delivered to a hospital in Dnipro.
In the aftermath of traumatic injuries caused by the war, many Ukrainian civilians are in need of durable medical equipment like wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches. Razom’s team of drivers continue to deliver these items (donated as a three-part installment from the Afya Foundation) to hospitals, rehab facilities, and nursing homes throughout Ukraine. In December, they made it to the Veterans Hospital in Kropyvnytskyi and Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro.
In partnership with Marsh Zhinok in Ukraine, who distributes prenatal vitamins as part of baby boxes for pregnant women, those who have just given birth, as well as women who are breastfeeding, we’ve been able to deliver 6 pallets of prenatal vitamins that will reach women in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions.
Over the holidays and well into the new year, our team has been distributing brand new scrubs from FIGS to boost the spirits of overburdened Ukrainian healthcare workers across the country.
Our Razom Grants project aims to support civil society at the most local levels across Ukraine. Non-governmental organizations, of which there are over 120 now that have received grants, address hyper local problems in regions that suffer most as a result of the war. During this winter season, our focus has been on electricity (which can be connectivity for school children, or warmth for the displaced and people in need) and basic humanitarian aid to regions in Ukraine that are experiencing the most extreme violence and destruction, i.e. closest to the front.
As of today, our team of drivers in partnership with our grantees have distributed 87 generators and 46 charging stations across Ukraine. They are largely for shelters, “Resilience Points,” humanitarian aid hubs, and institutions like PEN Ukraine International and Ukrainian Institute Kyiv. For example with Volonterska UA, we enabled them to deliver 14 generators as part of their goal to distribute them to every de-occupied village in the Kharkiv region where there is still no electricity. They were installed in village councils, administrative premises, medical stations, lyceums, cultural centers, hospitals, and more.
To get a sense of what life is like for civilians in de-occupied territories or towns that are on the front lines, one needs look no further than Bakhmut in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine [read our long-form blog post here]. Check out video footage from our grantees at Ukrainian Charity Alliance delivering aid there. One woman shares, “Along with the packages of humanitarian aid that you all deliver, you’re also delivering faith in that we are one Ukraine and that we are not forgotten.”
As we look ahead to the challenges in front of us, Razom has taken steps to systematize and scale our organization in order to better serve our mission, our projects, our donors, and our engagement with volunteers. For eight years Razom was a fully volunteer-run organization. In 2022, we started building a volunteer-driven organization with strong institutional support. Today this means transforming our Board into a governance board, compensating our CEO, and building out a full-time and part-time staff to support our programs sustainably. This month, we are also beginning our first-ever independent financial audit and continue to improve our systems and processes.
As we approach the one year mark of the full-scale invasion and of the intense sprint of our work together, we invite you to join people around the world to rally in support of Ukraine on Saturday, February 25th. We’re keeping a running list of rallies here, and if you’d like to get your city, town, or village added to it, please reply to this email. It’s vital to continue putting pressure on our governments and public to not be bystanders to the atrocity in Ukraine, to “defend the international legal order and peace project of the EU, to end an era of empire and weaken the prestige of tyrants around the world, and remind each other that democracy is the better system.” The list is a lot longer than that, and you can learn more here thanks to Timothy Snyder, a historian who specializes in the modern history of Central and Eastern Europe.
Join our advocates network to get the latest news from our Advocacy Team here: https://www.votervoice.net/RAZOMFORUKRAINE/Register There’s power in understanding key policy towards Ukraine to stay active and engaged with a war that’s impacted so many of us.
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter and hopefully passing it on, calling your representatives, joining us at events and rallies, and generously donating to our projects, and for showing your support for Ukraine. Stay razom (together).
P.S. – The 2022 tax receipts have now been sent out either by email or mail for donations totalling over $250 (please check your mailbox for the subject “Thank you for donating to Razom!”). If you have not received it, we might not have had your email or address, so please email us at donations@razomforukraine.org with “Tax Receipt” in the subject line and include your name and method of your donation.
While russia continues shelling Ukrainian cities, Razom is providing critical aid to Ukrainians impacted by these terrorizing attacks. Ukraine’s medical system is facing enormous challenges, but our partners have been helping us support civilian hospitals since day one of the war. The following are the most recent updates from our outstanding Razom Health team.
Thanks to a generous grant from Americares, Razom Health was able to procure 11 powerful generators for Ukrainian hospitals. Together with the help of our Ukrainian partners Patients of Ukraine and Zdorovi Agency our team will distribute them to the medical facilities that need them most. Providing generators will ensure that even during power outages doctors can continue providing emergency care and will be able to save the lives of many civilians. The first three generators are already on their way from our warehouse in Kyiv to hospitals in Kryvyi Rih, Marganets, and Tomakivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region of eastern Ukraine. To continue this critical initiative, we plan to procure at least 10 more generators so that we can assist hospitals in need throughout Ukraine.
Pictured below are an anesthesia machine that was recently delivered to a hospital in Dnipro and two containers of critical medical aid donated by Partners For World Health. We are grateful to our friends at Zdorovi Agency for distributing these items to the facilities that need them most.
In the aftermath of traumatic injuries caused by the war, many Ukrainian civilians are in need of durable medical equipment like wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches. Our partners Afya Foundation have been a leading donor of this equipment to Razom Health. Pictured here is the third and final container of Afya’s latest donation. This medical equipment will be distributed to hospitals, rehab facilities, and nursing homes throughout Ukraine.
We’d also like to thank our longtime partners WearFigs for boosting the spirits of Ukrainian healthcare workers this holiday season. FIGS supplied Ukrainian medical professionals with brand-new sets of their comfortable scrubs – a very welcome (and necessary) holiday gift for Ukraine’s healthcare heroes experiencing work and wartime fatigue. Thank you, FIGS, for showing how you stand with Ukraine!
This mission and aid would be impossible without the donations of thousands of caring people like you who sincerely support Ukraine. We appreciate your donations and encourage you to continue your vital support of the project. No donation is too small, especially when it comes to saving lives.
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!
