Help a war torn family 'live'.
Donation protected
Approximately a month ago, without notice, without being able to say goodbye to his family, our colleague and friend, Andrii, was called into the Ukrainian army, following a routine health check, where he was deemed fit enough. Andrii is in his early forties and has back problems, making it hard for him to even run.
It’s impossible to put into words the emotions that come with this—fear for his safety, pride in his courage, and deep sadness that war has taken him from the life and work he loved. Completely out of the blue, I received a message thanking me for the last few years at Vaboo, saying it was the best job he ever had. Utterly shocking to say the least.
As a business owner, I’m used to solving problems and supporting people through challenges. But this is different. This is about a human being I care about, someone whose humour, kindness, and talent have left a lasting mark on me and our team. Professionally, we miss his input and energy. Personally, I miss my friend, someone who is more of a brother to me.
Communication has been infrequent, especially after the first week, when Andrii was taken to a military training facility, the same ones that have been purposely targeted during attacks. I check my phone numerous times a day for messages from him, though as I far as I know, he gets just 5 minutes twice a week to use his phone.
Going forward the business is going to do what it can for Andrii and his family, but the fact is this has come completely out of the blue, and there are going to be huge unbudgeted additional costs to the business whilst others come in to keep the wheels turning.
Andrii has a work ethic like no other. He always has. Even when the war broke out in 2022 he put in more hours than usual, despite hiding in the basement of a church with his wife and daughter and 200 others. I have no idea how he did this, but he insisted. Here you can see an article from this time which features a picture of Andrii's daughter (Girl in the shelter of the UGCC)
For now, we are raising money to support Andrii and his family in any way we can—both now, while he serves, and later, when he returns and begins to rebuild. If you’re able to help, please consider contributing.
Your support means more than words can express. Please keep Andrii in your thoughts.
Organizer
Jonathan Stein
Organizer