Fellows in Action: A Global Effort to Support Ukrainians
Child looking at her apartment destroyed by Russian artillery
In the early moments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, several EHF Fellows swiftly mobilised their own forces to support what has become a major global humanitarian effort.
With critical assistance now being implemented both on the frontline and remotely from the rest of the world, we spoke to Fellows Bruce Tizes and Peter Maher about how they’re helping refugees with urgent medical needs near the warzone, and looking ahead to support them later in their settlement journey.
“We mobilised from day 1 of the invasion, as soon as it became clear that this ‘limited military operation’ of Putin’s was nothing of the sort.”
“When Russia unjustifiably attacked Ukraine, it became immediately clear that Global Outreach Doctors would mobilise a response. We fielded three physicians and one medic with combat experience who arrived in eastern Poland, and then entered into Ukraine on the western side. Through one of our partners in the UK, we also sourced 6 ambulances in Gloucestershire, which were then driven across the face of Europe to Poland and are in use now. We are already sourcing more ambulances to increase that number to approximately 11, and we have put out a global call for medics with combat experience to run them in areas of Ukraine where our personnel are increasingly in genuine jeopardy.”
Global Outreach Doctors’ team of dedicated professionals specialises in providing medical services in developing countries affected by famine, infant mortality and chronic health issues. As a very small not-for-profit with a 100% yield, Bruce says that they box far above their weight class. “We ally ourselves with others who have certain kinds of resources - say, a field hospital or a jet - and we get down to the nuts and bolts of delivering absolutely superior medical care.”
While Bruce’s contribution to the humanitarian effort thus far has been largely administrative, he says he may deploy from the US in the weeks ahead to join the growing on-site team in Ukraine.
“Just showing up is, in itself, a message to people who have been displaced.”
When asked what his role would be on the ground, Bruce replies “I will do what I always do which means I will take care of the human beings in front of me to the best of my ability.”
First group of GoDocs ambulances and volunteers arriving in Poland
In the immediate term, Andela Co-Founders (and Bruce’s fellow Cohort 8 Fellows) Jeremy Johnson and Christina Sass have been working in collaboration with Bruce and Global Outreach Doctors to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine from the US. “As the CEO at Andela’s helm, Jeremy’s contributions here cannot be overstated. He has been instrumental in establishing a non-profit organisation to receive charitable contributions for displaced people, as well as offering financial incentives for employers who hire refugee talent through Andela. We have both economically supported GoDocs, to some extent, and have also been talking to telemedicine teams in various localities for support with specialty care.”
In collaboration with Harvard Disaster Medical Group, they are working to establish telemedicine links for those in need of medical support in the conflict zone. Bruce adds, “A local healthcare worker there will soon be able to call up a sub-specialist at some of the world’s best and most intellectually capable places.”
While he’s busy helping to meet the immediate needs of Ukraine’s people, technologist and tech investor Bruce is also considering how engineering-as-a-service business, Andela, can support those who have lost jobs due to the conflict. “There are many hundreds of thousands who have been displaced, and Andela is in the business of finding such people work. We are also providing laptops and payroll advances and all sorts of ad hoc support.”
Amidst the conflict, a potential collaboration has emerged between Andela and global employer of record, Remote, which facilitates remote job opportunities and streamlines relocation and employment for both employers and staff. Championing the collaboration on behalf of Remote is EHF Fellow (Cohort 4), Peter Maher, who has been in discussions with Bruce from his home in Wānaka.
“Remote is in the business of being a global employer of record and Andela is in the business of finding the best talent on the planet”
“We have offered to support Peter in however they might need or want technology jobs,” Bruce says.
As Remote’s Senior Special Operations Manager, Peter is working to support Aotearoa as more workers transition to remote work, and helping them to reap the benefits while mitigating logistical challenges. “Our role is in acting as the employer of record in 60 countries, so far, and facilitating HR services, contracts, benefits, taxes, salary payments, visas and relocation logistics. We’re looking to bridge the gap between Andela - which has and trains talent and has access to employers - and Remote, which facilitates the employment of that talent.”
Remote has been working to support refugees since before the conflict began in Ukraine. An employer can hire any refugee talent for free through Remote as long as they have the right to work, Peter says. “Leading up to the Afghan withdrawal, we were working with the city of Amsterdam to see how we could help the refugees who were already there. To do so, we started offering our services to refugees absolutely free. What that means is that a company can hire refugee talent in another country through Remote at no cost. So what’s normally about a $7,000 per year management fee is waived completely. That gives a financial incentive for companies to explore the recruitment of refugee talent.”
Remote has since applied these principles to Ukrainian refugees, Peter says, starting with an initiative with the Portuguese government. “Supporting the Portuguese government, we’re helping speed up the visa and immigration process, and providing better access to local and international jobs. We can even sponsor work visas and, using our relocation programme, help those who are able to relocate, maintaining that fee-free offer for all employers who hire remote refugee talent. Portugal has been a leader in this response, with the rest of the EU shortly following with the EU Temporary Protection Directive.”
First group of GoDocs ambulances arriving in Poland
Peter is working closely with another Fellow, Sara Sutton (Cohort 8), and her recruitment and training platform FlexJobs to close the loop on employment opportunities for refugees here in Aotearoa and beyond. “Sara and FlexJobs have been fantastic. They’re offering free memberships for all refugee talent - from Ukraine or elsewhere - who come to them through a refugee organisation, and providing them with resume and job support. When an employer matches with an employee on FlexJobs, they can bring in Remote to facilitate the employment. Ultimately, our core purpose is helping an employer hire an employee.
We’re in a situation where we realise we’re not necessary in Ukraine right now because most refugees are still looking for shelter and food and access to money. But we know that we will be useful down the line when they do start looking for jobs.”
While much of Europe is already experiencing the impacts of this most-recent refugee crisis, Peter says New Zealand will not be far behind.
“New Zealand has agreed to take in an additional 4,000 refugees this year from Ukraine. Remote can help move that talent here and sponsor them.
We can also help them with the transition from their refugee status onto a Highly Skilled Migrant Visa.”
While both Peter and Bruce are happy to see the outpouring of support for Ukraine from global governments, both acknowledge that there are many others who are just as deserving and in need of support. “I just hope that the EU’s willingness to support Ukrainian refugees might open the door to doing so again for other forcibly displaced people,” Peter says.
“Those who are crossing the borders into Romania, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are being greeted with food and taken to people’s houses,” Bruce says. “This is an unrivalled, historically unprecedented response. There’s a bridge in Romania where there are little dolls and toys waiting for children who cross. Here, in the middle of a disaster, what the Poles have done, for example, is so exceptional it almost brings one to the brink of tears.”
Bruce and Peter agree that the next steps for Ukraine will be critical, once some of the immediate needs of those impacted by the conflict are able to be better catered for. “There are many phases of this,” Bruce says. “Some people will return to Ukraine; others will remain permanently engaged where they are. What is absolutely certain is that people who are mobile enough to have left also need jobs. They fled with whatever they could carry.”
This, Peter hopes, is where Remote can help. “One of our goals is to spread out the global balance of refugees. Currently five countries are hosting 40% of the world’s refugees, which isn’t sustainable. We want to ask those displaced people where they actually want to be and then start to relocate them to some of the 60 countries where we have an entity so far. For those who are coming here to Aotearoa, I’d like to see whatever organisation they come through - like Immigration New Zealand - connect them with FlexJobs, where they can get resume and CV support and access to remote employment. This will become increasingly relevant here in New Zealand as our borders fully open and thousands more refugees start to arrive later this year.”
As for our responsibility as Fellows and global citizens, Bruce says that “one of the exceptional things about the Fellowship is its diversity. I do not suppose to know how each human affiliated with EHF can best contribute, but there are many ways to help
We can each do what we do. I would urge each of us to do our best, whatever that means.”
Global Outreach Doctors will gratefully accept donations of any scale here. To learn more about how you can help Peter and Bruce support refugees and the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, visit Remote and Andela.
Images kindly supplied by Global Outreach Doctors.