Okean Elzy and SoftServe Launch a Major Fundraiser for 30 Ambulances for the Frontline During an International Tour

Open Eyes, SoftServe’s corporate charity fund, and the band “Okean Elzy” have announced a joint charity project, “Drive for Life: Okean Elzy Edition.” The goal of this project is to purchase, equip, and deliver 30 ambulances to the front line.

This fall, the band will begin the next phase of their Help for Ukraine charity tour, celebrating the band’s 30th anniversary. The tour will take the band across Europe, North America, and the UK. “Okean Elzy” will donate a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales, as well as all proceeds from charity merchandise sales and auctions, to the Open Eyes fund to purchase and equip the ambulances. The band calls on everyone who continues to support Ukraine’s defenders, particularly combat medics, to join the campaign.

“Over the past two and a half years, we have raised and delivered over UAH 250 million (over $6M) worth of aid through music. During the previous tour in North America, we were able to deliver 100 Mavic 3 drones to the Armed Forces and the National Guard. This time, we are launching a major fundraising project in partnership with SoftServe’s fund to provide 30 fully equipped ambulances to the front line. I often visit the front and speak with medics, in particular. Their stories of incredible self-sacrifice, rescue, and sometimes loss and failure, touch me deeply. They need our help every day. So this time, we will focus on purchasing ambulances to save the lives of our defenders”, says Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, leader of Okean Elzy.

According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, only official estimates indicate that Russia has damaged 1,642 medical facilities during the full-scale war and completely destroyed 214 more. In addition, more than 570 ambulances have been damaged, destroyed, or seized.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Open Eyes charity fund has been supporting Ukrainian medics and hospitals, including sending ambulances to the front. As of the end of July, more than 170 medical units have received 242 ambulances from the fund. In cooperation with Okean Elzy, the fund plans to purchase another 30 ambulances and the necessary medical equipment.

“This is the first partnership of this kind for our fund, and we are extremely proud to start this journey with Okean Elzy. We share common values, and each of us has been systematically supporting Ukraine’s defenders in our own way. Now, we are joining forces to raise UAH 30 million for 30 ambulances by the end of the year to strengthen the medics who save lives every day. With the strong support of Okean Elzy, we believe we will be able to reach more hearts around the world and multiply the impact of our help”, comments Viktoriia Mishchuk, director of the Open Eyes fund.

The project is being launched as part of the 10th anniversary of the Open Eyes fund and the 30th anniversary of the band Okean Elzy. Anyone can join the charity project by making a donation for an ambulance on the Open Eyes fund’s website, and later on the band’s website using payment systems in Ukraine, Europe, the UK, and the US.

“We urge those abroad to join us on tour in Europe, the US, Canada, and London. And if you’d like to congratulate us on our 30th anniversary, there is no better gift than a donation to this project!”, Vakarchuk concludes.

ABOUT OPEN EYES CHARITY FUND 

Open Eyes is a charity fund established by SoftServe in 2014, now operating in Ukraine, Europe, and the U.S. The fund focuses on three key areas: supporting medical institutions, promoting education for youth and children, and aiding Ukrainian defenders and veterans.

Since the escalation of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Open Eyes has intensified its efforts to provide critical support to the country. By the end of 2023, the fund had supplied over 3,000 sets of uniforms and footwear for defenders and delivered more than 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid to over 100,000 people. Additionally, Open Eyes equipped several main hospitals with over 350 units of life-saving medical equipment. Through its flagship initiative, Drive for Life, the fund has provided over 242 ambulances to frontline areas since 2022.

ABOUT SOFTSERVE 

SoftServe is a premier IT consulting and digital services provider. We expand the horizon of new technologies to solve today’s complex business challenges and achieve meaningful outcomes for our clients. Our boundless curiosity drives us to explore and reimagine the art of the possible. Clients confidently rely on SoftServe to architect and execute mature and innovative capabilities, such as digital engineering, data and analytics, cloud, and AI/ML.

Our global reputation is gained from more than 30 years of experience delivering superior digital solutions at exceptional speed by top-tier engineering talent to enterprise industries, including high tech, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, retail, energy, and manufacturing.