"When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die." - Jean-Paul Sartre
Full disclosure, this blog post will be different from what we usually offer.
It has now been over a month since the war began in Ukraine. Many of us have seen the devastating images of destroyed hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings. More horrific than the destruction of property is the implication of what those destroyed buildings mean. The loss of innocent lives.
Most of us are disgusted by the pointlessness of it all, but we feel helpless to do anything. It's all happening so far away.
Except when it's not.
A valued member of our team has immediate family members in Ukraine. Family under direct threat. This has made the war far more personal for us here at Gradient. We're deeply invested in finding ways to help beyond our donation through the Ukraine Strong Tech Vendor Coalition.
Our colleague is looking for ways to get his family out of the country and help provide them with a home so that they can begin the hard job of putting their lives back together. Not an easy feat in the middle of an ongoing war.
When his Gradient coworkers found out about his family, the offers to help just poured in. Ryan Barker and Rosalee Gordon quickly volunteered portions of their homes to provide housing for those fleeing war-torn Ukraine. In fact, we are relieved to report that plans are currently underway to get them to safety as early as next week.
Volunteering to provide shelter may seem like a small thing when measured against the overwhelming need on the ground, but a single snowflake can help to start an avalanche. We're hoping that Ryan and Rosalee will inspire others to similar acts of generosity. And while not all of us will be able to help in such a specific and direct manner, there are still many other things we can do to offer support to the people of Ukraine.
We've collected a list of agencies that are working to provide aid to Ukrainians.
Charitable Organizations on the Ground
- The UN World Food Programme is operating in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, delivering much-needed food to those caught in the crossfire
- World Vision Canada, Save the Children Canada and GlobalMedic are helping to support the displaced
- The Canadian Red Cross
- Doctors Without Borders has sent several teams to neighbouring countries to help care for refugees
- UNHCR, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has put out an urgent call for donations
You can also reach out to a local religious organization in your community to help in their fundraising efforts on behalf of Ukraine.
Sadly, none of us knows when this senseless war will be over, or what the final toll will be. We can only hope that saner heads will prevail to bring this atrocity to an end before even more devastation occurs. In the meantime, we urge you to visit the sites listed above and help out in whatever way you can.