Using our voice and our products for good in Ukraine

We are witnessing a horrific humanitarian crisis as the result of the unprovoked war started by Russia in Ukraine. I thought we’d only read about things like this in history books, yet here we are. My heart goes out to everyone who is directly affected or who has loved ones impacted by this ongoing conflict.

Twilio has taken several actions in support of those fleeing the violence and has limited the Russian government’s ability to use communication as a weapon. You can read more about how Twilio is responding here.

Even in tragic situations like the one we are witnessing now, I am heartened by the global community's response to offer aid, help, and support where it is needed most. There are many startups and developers that are independently coming up with ideas and building solutions in real-time to connect people to life-saving communications. Many Twilions are volunteering their own time to help these ideas come to life. I am in awe of how the builders of the world can see a need and use our technology to build solutions that can help.

We’re fortunate to have a close look at some of the organizations providing critical aid right now. In the last couple of weeks, many of the NGOs and non-profits Twilio.org supports with discounted services have stepped up and are on the ground, working in the region to support crisis relief efforts. The needs are immense, and they’re working to meet them all. To list just a few examples:

• The Norwegian Refugee Council’s Digital Community Hub utilizes WhatsApp to engage with people affected by the crisis and guide response activities and partnerships to meet their needs.
• Docplanner launched 'Doctors For Ukraine', a service to provide free medical consultations in Ukrainian languages for civilians in need.
• Zapytaj Lekarza has also made their medical video consultations free for Ukrainian patients.
• Della UA is delivering humanitarian aid from Poland to Ukraine and coordinating volunteers around Europe.

Twilio is proud to work with these amazing people and organizations, and we want to do more. We know that there is another lens to this tragedy, and I want to explicitly call it out. The racism and discrimination that people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community are facing while trying to access resources and find safety during this time of crisis is abhorrent. Twilio’s DEI and Twilio.org teams are partnering to identify how we can support NGOs that are supporting the care and safe evacuation of these groups.?

If you are an NGO, non-profit, or volunteer group and you'd like to partner on building solutions to aid in this crisis, please reach out to the Twilio.org team.?

I join the rest of the world in hoping for a peaceful end to this conflict. Twilio is here to help support however we can, and we will keep looking for ways to use our voice and our products for good.