We have stopped posting updates on this page and post all updates on arizae.org as well as Facebook.
Update from Ukraine:
Today IT Cluster received another $75K. The total amount of donation to the IT Cluster is now $295K, up from $220K last I posted.
Here is the update from the CEO at Lviv IT Cluster on how our donations are being used so far. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Lviv IT Cluster is grateful for your support and our team continues to do everything possible for the victory of Ukraine and the civilized world.
Together with JustAnswer we:
✅ Created 7 fully equipped centers for temporarily relocated persons. For the last 20 days 1000 beds with all amenities served as a shelter for more than 6500 people. We continue to provide dinners, cleaning service and volunteers, who support all inhabitants and make them feel comfortable after horrible events.
✅ Formed a separate team, who is closely connected to the civil hospitals in Kharkiv and Kyiv and reacts quickly on the needs they announce. We also communicate with Lviv Military Hospital and have the unique opportunity to send specific medical equipment to the combat zone to save the lives of our protectors. Almost 100 tons have been delivered and we don't stop.
✅ Case by case provide humanitarian support for the cities in critical situations with food supply and our drivers do amazing things.They've already reached plenty of final destinations which no one could have pulled off before. Konotop, Chernihiv, Kharkiv (4 times), Mariupol (4 cars), Irpin, Bucha, Kramatorsk. We're not crying over a spilt milk, we continue to believe and share this faith to the citizens of all these cities, bringing them some light and important goods for life support.
✅ Provide armour and tactical equipment for special forces and military groups, who are facing the enemy or implement special operations or intelligence missions. 200 bulletproof vests and helmets, 13 night visions and 14 thermal visors, 11 simple patrol drones and 2 specific (8000$ per item), tactical clothes, shoes, flashlights, sleeping bags and plenty of other stuff.
✅ Trying to protect critically important infrastructure with network connection in the whole Western Region. We've started a strong partnership with SpaceX and ordered almost 1000 Starlink devices. First 300 were already paid and arrived in Lviv. We're providing the detailed instructions of use and setup service for hospitals, city councils, regional administrations, offices of state service of special communications and information protection, etc. As well this option is very important for tech companies to have a backup network to deliver projects and still have a good chance not to lose customers, partners and provide services or products for export.
✅ Increasing Special group of IT specialists, who keeps doing great informational work with the Security Service of Ukraine and has grown up to 300 members.
✅Continue our cooperation with Wall Street Journal, BBC, Sifted, Het FinancieeleDagblad. From tha April, 1 launching a massive marketing campaign at Lviv Tech Marketplace, where we deliver messages for potential customers, that our employees are safe, companies continue to work and cooperation with Ukraine is extremely important in terms of getting a highly valuable services and in the same time giving a chance to earn money for thousands of families in country which is in War.
✅ Implemented IT Research Monitoring and got some basic information about relocation of the companies, new challenges for companies, and now planning to make detailed IT Research which will help us to understand more about transformations that industry should implement and show for the world that Ukraine is a stable and reliable partner.
✅ Launching with National Police a new safety project VISION, which will help to equip all Lviv Region with security cameras and face recognition systems. It will help to detect all saboteur groups and criminals, prevent crimes and find fugitives asap. In case of success the project will be multiplied to Zakarpatska and Ivano-Frankivska regions.
Wow! Thank you to the 455 JustAnswer employees, experts and friends who have donated a whopping $200,000 to Lviv IT Cluster's Ukraine Crisis Fund!!! The Lviv IT Cluster has been a partner of ours in Ukraine for years and they're doing incredible work to help the Ukrainian people during this war.
To build upon your generosity and in the hopes that we can hit $300,000 in donations, Just Answer has agreed to match the next $50,000 in donations from ANYONE – not just employees and Experts! So, another $50K from anyone in the community means $100K going to help the people of Ukraine.
Please share this match and the donation link on your social media!
Dear colleagues,
From the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Lviv IT Cluster team has activated all its resources to support community companies and the entire IT industry, the Armed Forces, cities and people in humanitarian crisis. We also work on the cyber front and in the information space. Here's what their team did in 10 days of war.
✅ Five centers for temporarily displaced people, designed for more than 700 people, have been opened. Thousands of people have already passed through these Centers. We have provided these locations with everything you need for a comfortable stay. The flow of people to Lviv is increasing.
✅ We have transformed our office to the Center for the collection of essentials for the army and people in difficulty. During the 10 days of the war, we sent several tons of humanitarian aid to Kharkiv, Kyiv, Bucha, Konotop, Okhtyrka and Vinnytsia. These are medicines, food, clothes, essentials. Power structures have also already been provided with important equipment.
✅ Now our Aid Collection Center is focused on collecting equipment, personal protective equipment and medicines for the military who are fighting in the hottest spots of Ukraine. The first quadcopters and equipment have already gone to our defenders.
✅ We actively cooperate with international media. Community companies tell the world media about the work of the IT industry during the war. The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Sifted, Het Financieele Dagblad have already spoken about the challenges facing the tech community. Interest in the IT industry during the war is high.
✅ We have launched a campaign aimed at ending IT business in Russia. We also urge your customers not to do business with the occupying country. Because the continuation of any activity in Russia only economically strengthens the aggressor, which contributes to a protracted war.
✅ The Tax Pay Forward initiative was launched. We urge Ukrainians to pay the Single Social Contribution and the Single Tax not on April 18 and May 19, respectively, but now. This will help not only the state, but also local authorities, which form the rear for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and territorial defense and take care of humanitarian challenges.
✅ We are negotiating with Elon Musk for the supply of equipment for satellite Internet Starlink. The need of the western region as of now - 1000 sets, which should provide a reliable alternative Internet connection all the critical infrastructure of the west of the country. We are implementing the project together with the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection.
✅ We are implementing a project with the State Border Guard Service to provide their infrastructure with an additional communication channel. In particular, we purchased and transferred all the necessary network equipment to work with the Startlink system. We also provided them with a diesel generator with a capacity of 20 kW.
Thank you to everyone who supports us. Join our initiatives.
Let's win together!
Glory to Ukraine!
Lviv IT Cluster team is working hard to provide all necessary things for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, territorial defenses of various cities and hospitals.
Yesterday IT Cluster sent:
- medications and equipment (walkie-talkies, batteries, screeds, etc.) to Kyiv
- more than three tons of products to Kharkiv
- one bus of medications and 105 gallons of gasoline to 80th Air Assault Brigade
- one bus of medications to the military hospital in Kyiv
- one bus of medications to Obukhov
They also preparing more than 500 sets of sleeping bags, mats and pillows for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
You can read more about IT Cluster programs here:
https://itcluster.lviv.ua/en/lviv-cluster-launches-projects-counteract-new-threats/
Thanks everyone for your donations and tremendous support!
Slava Ukraini!
