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To coordinate with local government-based centers in cities occupied by Russia, the organization relies heavily on volunteers for support.
Belan explains, “These centers are actually not on occupied territory. They are actually located on Ukraine-controlled territories and are, so to speak, ‘local community centers,’ in exile. For example, because Severodonetsk is occupied by the Russian army, their community center operates in Dnipro and serves residents from Severodonetsk who evacuated to Dnipro. We have many of those exile centers, and our organization and its volunteers cooperate with these centers.”
To communicate across its volunteer network and reach these “customers,” the organization is leveraging various technologies to communicate and manage resources and data. This includes applications such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber, and tailored tools such as a chatbot and a customer relationship management system (CRM).
The Center for Humanitarian Technology (CFHT), a nonprofit based in New York, has helped provide Step With Hope with a customized software bot so that the organization can provide aid to about 8,000 families a week. The so-called Telegram for Humanity chatbot was created in conjunction with the center, Automation Anywhere, Presidio and Zendesk, according to the CFHT.
The digital tool helps automate the thousands of requests for aid in a speedy and accurate manner, saving hours of manual processing time amidst war zone conditions, the CFHT noted.
The Telegram-based chatbot streamlines the registration process and schedules appointments, helping to avoid an otherwise chaotic manual process and eliminating the need for thousands of frightened people to wait in lines, Belan shared. The organization is in the process of adopting this tool.
It is important for Step With Hope to reach communities in an organized fashion and honor the dignity of the people it is serving. Offering regular meals to those in challenging life circumstances is a key priority.
“Over the last two years or so, we were able to serve close to 100,000 people,” he noted. “That would have been impossible without this technical help. The chatbot allowed us to prioritize people’s needs and make appointments. We avoided big lines of people and could handle things in an orderly, dignified manner.”
Digital tools also help Step With Hope to provide long-term support to their fellow Ukrainians. With the help of CFHT, the organization developed a CRM system to track the long-term needs of families and citizens, further amplifying its relief efforts.
“Our aim is not just to give a food parcel to a person and say ‘goodbye,’” Belan emphasized. “We want to help their children, invite them to support groups for both men and women, depending on their needs. The CRM helps us track what is happening with these people. Did they stay in our area, or did they go somewhere else? We can do data analysis about who came to us, their ages, genders, where they are from, if they still need help or if they have established themselves.”
Additionally, Step With Hope leverages other organizations’ tools. “One of the positive developments is when more organizations like ours come together,” Belan continued. “One particular one called the MCC, the Mennonite Central Committee, which operates from the Kharkiv area, they created a whole virtual hub for local humanitarian organizations to exist online. They implemented the idea of actually doing research, gathering intel and finding out information about the needs of refugees. And they even developed a whole logistical plan of evacuation of people from the war-torn areas, and we call to cooperate with them.”
The MCC also sponsors activities associated with psychological help for adults and children, and in the past two years they provided more than 100,000 parcels of food, Belan noted. Step With Hope also relies on the Ukraine Trust Chain for help with logistics. In the aftermath of a devastating flood in the Kherson area caused by an explosion of the Kakhovka Dam, and after rocket and drone attacks, the Ukraine Trust Chain has helped with urgent logistical needs.
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