The past few weeks in Ukraine have been unimaginably difficult. With the company being based in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, many Bini Bambini employees found themselves waking up to sounds of explosions on February 24, 2022.
It could have easily turned to chaos, but if you have a family you can turn to in times of need, you can get through anything. And that’s what Bini is – a family. We’re doing everything we can to ensure the continued safety of not only our amazing Bini’ites but also their families and friends. We’re also donating to and aiding the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrainian doctors at the front, and other people in need. You can help support Ukrainians too by letting your children learn on our apps.
So much has happened in our lives recently, and we want to share some of that with you now.
Our top priorities: safety, security, stability
With our homes under attack, we had to ensure the safety of our people. The first thing we did was to make contact with everyone we could and found out where they were. Then, as we knew many people would have to leave their homes and stock up on food and other items, we provided each of our employees with an extra lump-sum payment as quickly as possible.
In the first 20 hours, we were hopeful that the attack would end quickly. However, it soon became apparent that this would not be the case. We organized buses to evacuate employees along with family and friends westward to safer cities or even abroad. We also organized accommodations. Thanks to the evacuation initiatives of our incredible team members, we’ve been able to save over 600 lives. However, there are some who cannot leave and are working from basements or bunkers.
There are yet other employees who remain in dangerous areas to administer humanitarian aid or who have gone to the front. Their jobs are secure, and they continue to receive their salaries. The work they are doing is so important and we want to support them as much as we can.
We’re making sure all our employees are receiving their salaries and providing them with extra financial support while they find somewhere to settle long term.
What about the kids of Ukraine?
Among those most affected by this act of Russian aggression are Ukrainian children. Schools are no longer safe and many are having to spend their nights in underground metro stations or other places acting as bomb shelters. We’re proud of how resilient they’ve been, but many will be traumatized for life.
To help distract kids from the horrors of war, we’ve made all our games free for children in Ukraine. Drawing in one of our drawing apps, learning letters and numbers, or baking cookies into fun shapes returns some normality to the lives of Ukrainian people’s children. Education through entertainment has always been our number one mission, and Ukrainian kids need it now more than ever.
Kids evacuating from villages and cities face long wait times on buses, trains, in queues, and many other places. Having free games to play eases the strain of waiting by keeping them busy and learning.
A peek into the life of one of our new Bini “communes”
Nine Bini’ites with their families, a total of 23 people plus their pets, are now living close to each other in three houses near Lviv. These houses used to be rented to tourists, but now they’ve become home to displaced people.
The three households often visit one another, gathering together to cook, eat, and discuss. While some work, others go to rallies, and yet others do errands. One of the children may even be running around with a dog. They’ve come together to form one big family.
The experience, although devastating, has brought families even closer. Our art director’s two daughters spend their days helping him make animations for our apps. They’ve found something that they enjoy and hope brings joy to others. In such a short time, their lives were turned upside down, but they still have each other and are making the best of it.
All of us here at Bini, whether we’re in a bunker, a refugee camp, within Ukraine, or abroad, are working as hard as possible to keep making our apps and support Ukraine however we can. You too can stand with Ukraine by downloading Bini Bambini apps, proudly Ukrainian made.
