Help our Evolve Team & their families in Ukraine

Help our Evolve Team and their families in Ukraine

One team, two countries – words we live by at Evolve, an IT consultancy company from Leicester, UK with our biggest office in Kyiv, Ukraine. On 24th February, Russia invaded Ukraine, and since then the world has watched as Ukrainians & those living in the country have faced extreme danger nobody thought possible.

Evolve has 65 team members and their families in Ukraine, only 6 have managed to leave so far, the rest continue to live under immense threat in areas either under direct attack (Kyiv, Kharkiv) or areas with regular air raid sirens that are expecting conflict.

We are looking to raise funds to help our team and their families with:

- transportation

- resettlement costs within Ukraine

- medical costs

- relocation costs outside of Ukraine

- food and supplies

A note from Colette, CEO of Evolve

On 24th February I awoke to hear the devastating news that Ukraine was being attacked, I had followed the news leading up to this event and reached out to my team many times in the preceding weeks asking if anyone wanted to relocate within Ukraine or leave Ukraine, and I received an overwhelming response of no, we’re okay, we’ve been in this situation for 8 years, we’ve heard their threats, Russia won’t attack Ukraine – something so many of us believed at the time.

I so wish they were right and the news was wrong!

But sadly, Russia did attack Ukraine and what ensued over the next 48 hours and now continues has been traumatic to watch from the side lines, never mind, live through for my team members and their families.

We are a small business, most of my team are in the Ukraine and I can only do so much to support them financially.

This is a direct appeal for a humanitarian fund for my team in the Ukraine and their families, to help them get through this harrowing time without worrying about job security and finances and help them resettle or leave the country.

Ukrainians are a very proud people, and as the world has seen, they don’t want to leave their country unless they are absolutely forced to and many have young families and don’t want to be separated, so we need to support them – whether they choose to stay in Ukraine or choose to send their families outside of Ukraine.

My team and their families so far have managed to keep safe and I pray in the coming days this continues, the majority are displaced, and are staying in temporary accommodation or shelters and could only take what they could carry, but I and my team here in the UK have maintained direct contact with each and every one of them throughout, tracking their movements and providing practical information from afar.

But, by far the most important thing to them so far has been emotional support, feeling loved and supported and not alone is critical at this time and donating sends a clear message they are not alone!

The pictures you see here are real pictures of my extended Ukrainian Family, some in happier times of their previous lives and some while trying to escape from Kyiv, they are real people and this time two weeks ago they were safe and now they are not, and their lives will likely never be the same.

If you cannot donate there are other things you can do:

If you have accommodation anywhere, you can offer it on www.shelter4ua.com

If you feel politically inclined you can vote on www.change.org there are many campaigns to support Ukrainians.

If you feel like lobbying your local mp to provide additional support just do it, don't think about it just do it!