HelpKharkiv's volunteer activities began on the first day of the war. We combined the efforts of four Kharkov IT companies (Scalarr, Ideasoft, Sigma Software and Genpro) to evacuate the families of our employees in the first place. However already on the first day we realized that we can't focus only on the employees. We evacuated the first 6,000 people at our own expense. In parallel, we developed a cell of local assistance to people and institutions such as orphanages, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, maternity houses, EMERCOM and utilities, mental health clinics, hospices and boarding houses for the elderly.
Today we feed about 10 000 people in Kharkov and Kharkov region every day, provide 42 institutions with food and medicines and take and distribute 18 000 boxes of medicines every day. Our volunteer center is headed by Andrey Ushakov, Genpro (500+ people), MBA Columbia (New-York) and London Business School, Andrey Lazorenko (Co-Founder & CEO, Ideasoft, acquired by Sigma), Petr Kolomiets (CBDO of Ideasoft) and Inna Ushakova (Co-Founder & CEO, Scalarr). Each is responsible for separate areas in our group.
On a constant level, we are on the lookout for foodstuffs that cannot be obtained through humanitarian aid from outside. Such products include meat, milk, fish, etc. Also, we are always looking for an opportunity to get medicines, as there are a lot of wounded in the city and the civilian population left in Kharkiv and the region is vulnerable.
Right now the city is almost 75% blockaded by Russian troops. This actually means that the delivery of humanitarian supplies is difficult and often takes place under fire. What we can — we buy in our own region. In addition, we allocate funds for financial aid to the families of fallen volunteers.
Our main goals for the coming weeks are:
1. to evacuate children's institutions from the region: homes, boarding schools, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, special institutions for the blind, children with disabilities, children with autism, etc;
Evacuate hospices and psychiatric clinics from the region;
3. to set up regular daily distribution of humanitarian aid in all districts of Kharkiv and centers of the region, as well as to provide individual deliveries to people who cannot take care of themselves (people with disabilities, single people in age, etc.);
4. evacuation of women with young children and the elderly.
How much is needed?
5000 € — medicaments and specialized equipment for doctors: surgical instruments, changeable robes, etc.; fuel, wages for bus drivers, milk trucks and trucks that deliver food, medicaments and other necessary items; food.