All of us are participants of the great fight. And everyone has their own role in it. Further, you will find six stories from our team members who not only continue working and defending the economic front of Ukraine but also strengthen the volunteer one.

“We bake for civilians and defenders of Ukraine who are in hot spots now”

Olha Skaletska, HR Specialist

In the first weeks of the war, all of us were looking for ways to help the country and the people who had suffered. I also had a great desire to help. At first, I tried to make camouflage nets. But when I heard about the bakery that operates entirely on a volunteer basis, it interested me.

We bake for civilians and defenders of Ukraine who are in hot spots now. And though I am far from haute cuisine, such ways-to-help-the-country does not require special skills. There are just instructions you need to follow.

Ivanna Sybira, HR Specialist

I really wanted to help in some way besides providing financial support or HR support to our team members. And when at meetings and on Instagram, Olia described what she was doing, that idea resonated with me, and I also wanted to join.

When I first messaged Olia that I wanted to help, it turned out that there were a lot of people in the bakery at that moment. Therefore, no additional assistance was required. But in a while, Olia wrote something like, “Today there will be a delivery to Bucha and Irpin, we need to prepare a big batch.” That day, I came to the bakery for the first time.

We do not have strict task distribution in the kitchen. For example, on my first day, Olia and I made cupcakes. And the next day, I packed pastries and signed boxes: “From Lviv with love.”

It is a very cool pastime. You do a good thing, you work in a team of great people, plus it’s a physical activity after a day in front of the computer. It’s true that I might have a backache or pain in my legs after that, but I still see positive in it. It helps me fall asleep better, and the next day, I’m ready to get back to work.

A recommendation I try to follow: not to take on more than I can. If you cannot volunteer because of the health state or fatigue, it is better not to go. So, we will save the resource to help others.

Olha Skaletska, HR Specialist

I am very impressed by the people who volunteer with us in the bakery. We can take a five-minute break, but then everyone says, “Okay, let’s go to work.” Everybody understands why we are here. And because all do it voluntarily, the intention to help is felt. And our leader (the owner of the bakery, who started this initiative in the first days of the war) unites and supports us.

“On weekends, I get in the car and look for those who need help”

Mykyta Kostenko, Software Development Engineer

With the first explosions, I realized that it was a war of destruction. And since February 24, I have been doing everything I can. I immediately registered with the territorial defense, but so many people were willing to join that they just put me in line. Not to waste time, I started ways-to-help-the-country.

On weekdays, I work as a software engineer and, in parallel, run DDoS attacks on my PC to break down the enemy’s network infrastructure. But on weekends, I get in the car and look for those who need help. I buy food and medicine, less often—clothes, blankets, pillows. I can’t get some stuff, such as generators or thermal imagers, but it is actually very easy to find and deliver many other things.

I don’t always see the people I help, and I don’t do it for gratitude. It is a matter of survival, and I believe that every conscious citizen of Ukraine can do something useful now. At the very least, send complaints about hostile telegram channels, participate in the information war, launch DDoS attacks, and so on.

Obviously, I have little time for rest now. In addition, alarms in Dnipro are very frequent and long-lasting at the moment. And yet, we must unite at this time and win.

“Not all people know that, but one donor may give blood only once in two months”

Pavlo Shepilov, Software Development Engineer

Blood is badly needed at hospitals during military activities, so in the first days of the war, I went to the blood bank. At that time, they had large blood amounts, but in three or four weeks, I saw an announcement that donors were needed again.

The procedure itself took only 10-15 minutes, and there was nothing complicated. It was important to follow a very simple diet and not to consume dairy products, nuts, fried foods, and medicines 24 hours before donating blood. Editor’s Note: rules “What to eat and not to eat before donation”. And it is also not burdensome. When you arrive, you will be asked if you have followed the diet (answer truthfully) and about chronic diseases. That’s it.

Not all people know that, but one donor may give blood only once in two months. And, as far as I understood, that practice is not violated even during the war. That’s why more people need to know it. Editor’s Note: map “Where to donate blood”.

I am convinced that if we all do at least something, we will hasten the moment of our victory. We can’t all go to the front together, but we can supply soldiers and hospitals with necessary things and help displaced people.

Employment helps a lot to deal with emotions and focus on the right things. During the first week of the war, my friends and I did everything we could: organized water delivery to hospitals and volunteer centers, delivered stoves for the territorial defense, made Czech hedgehogs, collected clothes, bought food, and much more. I did things I could control, and it helped me psychologically.

“They took turns in wearing those bulletproof vests—they are so light and comfortable”

Kostiantyn Pokhvalityi, Business Analyst

It all started from a conversation with my uncle, who serves in the Dnipro territorial defense. He said that 3,000 people had been recruited, but there were issues with stuffing—they needed helmets, bulletproof vests, and knee pads. And I wanted to help. We found people who produce very cool bulletproof vests at low cost. Therefore, the issue of funds collection was raised.

My goal was to help raise money for at least a few bulletproof vests. I knew that any help was important, so I wrote about my fundraising to our company volunteer channel. And our team members transferred 135,000 UAH! We have already bought 1,400 meters of fabric for this money in Poland. Almost a kilometer and a half of fabric—I can’t even imagine what it looks like.

Cordura is an ideal material for such purposes! The bulletproof vests are very strong and weigh only 13 kilograms. Our soldiers already used them during the purge in Bucha, and since the bulletproof vests were not enough for all, the soldiers took turns in wearing them—they are so light and comfortable.

Also, our teammate from the Sumy region urgently needed three vests for her close ones. And we managed to provide them! However, the post office did not have packages of the required size. So, our team members gave us laptop boxes from the office—it turned out that bulletproof vests fit perfectly in them! We have sent them to the Sumy region, and they also protect our defenders. Some of our bulletproof vests are already at the forefront, and we are now waiting for a new delivery.

ways-to-help-the-country gives me strength. It’s like running. When you have run a certain distance and got tired, you suddenly find your second wind, which helps you run further even faster. It is an opportunity to be useful and help our defenders at least a little. Our result and the peace in Dnipro, in particular, depend on that. Though I may worry about something in the process, it’s calmer than just reading the news.

The work remains my top priority, but when I get feedback from soldiers, I want to try even harder.

“We realized: to let our employees feel comfortable, we need to separate sleeping places and workspace”

Zoia Sergeieva, Finance Specialist

Chernivtsi is a small city where rent problems existed even in peacetime. And with the beginning of a full-scale war, the situation worsened. Many people came to Chernivtsi, apartment owners began to raise prices, and many fraudsters appeared. The team members were afraid to run into bad people, and we were worried about our team members. So, as in other development centers, we decided to reorganize our office into a shelter.

The first two weeks were difficult. We had no Saturdays or Sundays, and we were at work from eight in the morning until the late evening—we had to organize sleeping places together with the housemaster. I spent the day arranging the office, and in the evening, I dealt with financial issues as I am a finance specialist.

We realized: to let our employees feel comfortable, we need to separate sleeping places and workspace. So, we decided to rent five more working rooms. But the most difficult thing was to buy everything needed because there was almost nothing in the shops due to the excitement. I remember my joy when we managed to buy a lot of good mattresses! We really wanted our colleagues to be comfortable and feel like home as much as possible. We brought baggy chairs and wall decor, agreed with a gym nearby on letting our colleagues use the shower for free, and found a laundry room. And yes, they do not sleep on full-size beds, but I think we have managed to make them feel comfortable in that space. Our employees have got their bubble: peaceful, calm, with their pace of life, where children and dogs run, and you feel that the office is alive.

Everyone helped us: teammates and their family members. We came together and felt each other’s support. And even if we didn’t know each other before, we were all united by one goal because we were one team.