How You Could Support Ukraine as a Programmer

We all are shocked by the terrible war Russia started, and we care for Ukraine and its citizens. While working as a developer, I used to work with many talented Ukrainians (the world knows how great Ukrainian programmers are!) and have made a lot of friends among them. I deeply empathize with them now, especially when I hear stories of my friends. One of them has to sleep in the subway with his family because it’s the closest shelter to his home. The other lost the house he built in Irpin, a small cozy town near Kyiv. He and his family put so much effort and spent so many years creating the home of their dreams, and now it’s gone, ruined by Russian troops. His kids are devastated, but he says: “at least we’re alive.”

When I hear it, my heart breaks. Since the beginning of the war, I’ve been helping Ukraine, for example, by donating money. But it still feels like it’s not enough. I think the world doesn’t pay enough attention to Ukraine’s and Ukrainians’ problems. Probably because we can’t imagine what they are going through. I believe we aren’t helping them enough, and we could do more.

So, I decided to collect different ways of supporting this great people struggling for freedom and share them with you. If you’ve already donated money or offered your help to refugees from Ukraine but still feel you could do more (like I do), this list is for you.

As for me, I decided to teach and tutor Ukrainians for free. Giving them a fresh start in a new field (because many of them have lost their previous positions, maybe forever) is my way of helping Ukraine.

1. Hire a Ukrainian

Unfortunately, many people have already lost their jobs after the beginning of the Russian invasion. It’s hard to estimate the number of Ukrainian developers who lost their jobs precisely, but in general, 53% of Ukrainians became unemployed after the war started (according to the survey conducted by Rating Group in March). And many more to go.

Ukrainian developers, who have been highly appreciated on the global market, face a huge problem now. Due to the martial law declared by President Zelenskyy, men from 18 to 60 years old can’t leave the country, which makes it impossible for developers to relocate. But they can and are willing to work. Also, Ukrainian women who fled the country can and want to work. And working for these people nowadays means supporting not only themselves but the Ukrainian economy as well. Many of them are top-notch specialists.

Many companies have considered Ukraine a high-risk territory and started to shut down some outsource projects involving Ukrainians. Also, Ukrainians on a startup’s team mean potential problems with investment attraction. If the company can’t guarantee the safety of its employees, it’s an additional risk for investors.

I think it’s unfair, and I urge you to help if you can. For example, consider hiring a Ukrainian developer or other IT specialist (in marketing, design, management, etc.) if you have a job opening.

There are several websites you can use to find the person you need:

• Hire for Ukraine — there are over 2,000 active profiles of Ukrainian professionals on this website
• Hire The Ukrainian — you can send the information about a job opening to them or become a volunteer if you have HR-related experience
• Employ Ukraine — you can post a job description and it won’t cost you a penny. Currently, there are 7,000+ candidates and 2,500+ jobs here.

2. Learn with Ukrainian apps

Remember I told you that Ukrainian developers are outstanding? So, you can trust me when I say they can develop a quality app for studying. For example:

• CodeGym.cc — if you’ve been reading me for some time, you’ve probably heard about this service. I think it offers an extremely practical way to learn Java, and I’m happy to mention that it’s a Ukrainian project. It helps you become a Java developer even if you’ve never tried coding before. Practical tasks, a minimal amount of theory, plus an option to study with a mentor. Also, this company recently started a project aiming to provide Ukrainians who lost their jobs with a new career in IT. When you buy a subscription, two subscriptions go to the Ukrainians who need them to start a new profession (details — here).
  
• Preply — this service can be useful for those developers who work in multinational teams and want to learn a new language (or several languages). It offers help in finding a language tutor, a convenient platform for studying, and a virtual classroom. Also, you can track your progress and see how your speaking and vocabulary improve.
  
• ReadLax — helps to learn more efficiently by training your brain. With this app, you can start reading much faster, improve your memory, and become more focused and concentrated on what you’re doing at the moment.
  Sure, this isn’t a complete list of Ukrainian companies worth your support. If you know others, feel free to write about them in the comments.

And here is one more way to help Ukrainians to which I’m currently devoting almost all my spare time:

3. Use Ukrainian software and services

As the world gets more and more interested in the war updates, the awareness of Ukrainian businesses and products grows. Here are some of them you probably have never heard about (although you should, in my humble opinion):

• GitLab — a DevOps platform that helps companies maximize the overall return on software development. It enables a team to perform all the project tasks: from planning to deployment.
• Readdle — this company’s productivity applications work on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Some of them were named Editors’ Choice and Apps of the Year by Apple.
• Lemon.io — Ukrainian service for finding developers for startups. This company suggests a match for the opening in 24 hours and calls itself “the exclusive community of startup sidekicks.”
• Sembly.ai — this service makes meetings work by recording, transcribing, and creating summaries by AI. It is compatible with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Webex.
• Datuum.ai — this data management platform helps scale your company’s data operations. As the company says, using its product may lead to an 80% reduction in time and money.

4. Use your professional skills to help Ukrainians

For instance, if you’re an IT consultant, offer your services to people in need. If you’re a high-skilled professional, become a mentor for an aspiring Ukrainian building a career in your field. If you’re an educator, launch a free online course. If you have a site — you could add this widget on it.

We have so much to give, and we can’t be stingy now. Ukraine didn’t start this war, but it must win it for all of us. The world needs Ukraine’s victory to continue believing that freedom still means something, and people have the right to be themselves without the fear of getting killed for it.

And the final note. The war will end eventually, and Ukraine will face the next challenge: recovering. Ukrainians will have to rebuild the country, so their economy needs a lot of support. If we can do it, we should.

P.S. If you have more ideas — please, share them in the comments!

First published at Geek Culture.