sugarvalves [1963573] —
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A message of support to our developers and players in Ukraine.
As many of you already know, Torn’s development team is almost entirely based in Ukraine. Many of the talented men and women who have helped create Torn City now find their lives, homes, and way of life under threat, and it would be callous in the extreme if we were to let this pass without remark.
Torn is of course just a game, and while we may occasionally make glib references to real-life events, it is hardly our place to comment seriously on matters of geopolitical importance. Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned for the safety of our colleagues - our friends - who through no fault of their own find themselves in grave danger from the conflict others have brought to their sovereign nation.
"While I've generally been the voice of the development team, these are the people who actually build Torn. Without them, none of us would be here today - their passion and dedication for the game and its community is what's made all of this possible. I'm so sorry for this tragic, surreal situation that they're facing, I can't begin to imagine what they're going through. We'll support them and their families 100% in any possible way we're able to. To all of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters out there, please stay safe. Our thoughts and sincere best wishes are with all of you." - Chedburn
Chedburn informs me that he is in contact with members of our development team at present, and while the community’s concern for their welfare is heartening, I am sure you all understand that for their safety and privacy we will not be divulging any further information for the time being. Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to help our colleagues through this and will provide the community with an update if and when it is relevant.
Personally, I can’t help but note the cruel irony of the calendar bringing up Employee Appreciation Day next week. Such things are irrelevant even in times of peace, but it feels brutally inappropriate to have such an event coming up in the game when our actual employees face such an unknown future. Torn’s developers are incredibly appreciated by those of us who work with them and the community at large, and for their sake and that of their friends and families, we hope desperately that this situation is resolved soon.
The final statement we must make feels improper given the context, but we must make it nonetheless. While Torn will continue to function as normal, the majority of Torn development is now placed on hold. Torn is a form of escapism for many, but those who have the evils of war perched on their doorstep have no such luxury, and I hope we can count on your understanding regarding this matter.
We pray that our colleagues will be with us again soon, but in the meantime, please keep our developers and their kin in your thoughts. I recognise that such a request feels pathetically inconsequential and trite given how often such things are said in lieu of meaningful action, but aside from counting ourselves fortunate to be able to live freely and safely in our own homes, hope is all that we can do.
To all of our colleagues, players, and friends in Ukraine, please take care. We are thinking of you.
Here is a list of charities through which you can support the people of Ukraine. This list was drawn up and annotated by journalists from the Kyiv Independent, so we cannot verify the exact nature of these organisations. Please take time to do your own due diligence before donating. Thank you to Karty for the suggestion.
Charities that help the war effort
Torn is of course just a game, and while we may occasionally make glib references to real-life events, it is hardly our place to comment seriously on matters of geopolitical importance. Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned for the safety of our colleagues - our friends - who through no fault of their own find themselves in grave danger from the conflict others have brought to their sovereign nation.
"While I've generally been the voice of the development team, these are the people who actually build Torn. Without them, none of us would be here today - their passion and dedication for the game and its community is what's made all of this possible. I'm so sorry for this tragic, surreal situation that they're facing, I can't begin to imagine what they're going through. We'll support them and their families 100% in any possible way we're able to. To all of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters out there, please stay safe. Our thoughts and sincere best wishes are with all of you." - Chedburn
Chedburn informs me that he is in contact with members of our development team at present, and while the community’s concern for their welfare is heartening, I am sure you all understand that for their safety and privacy we will not be divulging any further information for the time being. Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to help our colleagues through this and will provide the community with an update if and when it is relevant.
Personally, I can’t help but note the cruel irony of the calendar bringing up Employee Appreciation Day next week. Such things are irrelevant even in times of peace, but it feels brutally inappropriate to have such an event coming up in the game when our actual employees face such an unknown future. Torn’s developers are incredibly appreciated by those of us who work with them and the community at large, and for their sake and that of their friends and families, we hope desperately that this situation is resolved soon.
The final statement we must make feels improper given the context, but we must make it nonetheless. While Torn will continue to function as normal, the majority of Torn development is now placed on hold. Torn is a form of escapism for many, but those who have the evils of war perched on their doorstep have no such luxury, and I hope we can count on your understanding regarding this matter.
We pray that our colleagues will be with us again soon, but in the meantime, please keep our developers and their kin in your thoughts. I recognise that such a request feels pathetically inconsequential and trite given how often such things are said in lieu of meaningful action, but aside from counting ourselves fortunate to be able to live freely and safely in our own homes, hope is all that we can do.
To all of our colleagues, players, and friends in Ukraine, please take care. We are thinking of you.
Here is a list of charities through which you can support the people of Ukraine. This list was drawn up and annotated by journalists from the Kyiv Independent, so we cannot verify the exact nature of these organisations. Please take time to do your own due diligence before donating. Thank you to Karty for the suggestion.
Charities that help the war effort
- Save Life: This NGO crowdfunds non-lethal military equipment, such as thermal vision scopes & supplies it to the Donbas front lines. It also provides training for Ukrainian soldiers, as well as researching troops’ needs and social reintegration of veterans.
- Donbas SOS: This organization helps those who live in the Donbas war zone, those who relocated to other parts of Ukraine, and freed prisoners of war. It offers legal support, accommodation assistance, and psychological aid among other things.
- Crimea SOS: This organization has been helping internally displaced people from Crimea since Russia occupied the peninsula in 2014. It documents Russian authorities' repressions against Crimeans and advocates for the end of the occupation.
- Hospitallers : This is a medical battalion that unites volunteer paramedics and doctors to save the lives of soldiers on the frontline. They crowdfund their vehicle repairs, fuel, and medical equipment.
- Tabletochki: This foundation has been supporting children with cancer for 10 years. They procure medicines, equipment, and arrange overseas treatment, among other things.
- ChildrenWeWillMakeIt: This movement grew out of a campaign that raised $2 million to get the world's most expensive medicine for a Ukrainian boy with spinal muscular atrophy. It now fundraises for the treatment of other Ukrainian children with SMA.
- Ruka ob Ruku: This is a running club for children with disabilities. The initiative gives children an opportunity to train and take part in races together with their parents and volunteers.
- Happy Old: This charity provides older people across Ukraine with groceries and medicine, holds educational, entertainment, and sports events, as well as helps with employment. They even created a modeling agency for the elderly.
- Let's Help: This charity cares for older people living alone and helps state retirement homes. They also advocate for better treatment of older people by the state, including providing people aged 60+ with easy access to education.
- Starenki: It’s a charitable initiative devoted to issues of old age in Ukraine. They help lonely seniors by providing them with groceries and hygiene products.
- Women Perspectives: This organization has been helping women who have faced domestic violence, discrimination in the labor market, and other issues. The NGO works with local and state authorities to promote pro-equality gender policies in Ukraine.
- Marsh Zhinok (Women’s March): Every year, on March 8, this initiative holds a rally promoting gender equality and the protection of women from gender-based violence. Currently, the organization is petitioning for Ukraine to adopt the Istanbul Convention.
- Blood Agents: It is an NGO that promotes regular, conscious and gratuitous blood donations. They have encouraged people to donate blood over 5,000 times over the past six years.
- Donor UA: It is an automated system for recruiting and managing blood donors, designed to promote the donor movement in Ukraine. You can help by signing up and donating blood or by supporting the project with money donation.
- Sirius: Is the largest shelter for stray animals in Ukraine established in 2000. Its capacity is over 3,000 animals. The institution crowdfunds for animal feed, veterinary drugs, construction and repair of enclosures, and other needs.
- Happy Paw: Is a charity dedicated to solving the problems of homeless animals in Ukraine. The charity helps owners find lost animals, sterilizes domestic animals of people in need & holds lectures on humane treatment of homeless animals for schoolchildren.
- UAnimals: Is a movement for protecting animals from exploitation & abuse. The organization managed to achieve a ban on animal circuses & persuaded many designers participating in Ukrainian Fashion Week to abandon natural fur.
- Ukraine Without Waste: It is a Ukrainian non-profit promoting the practice of sorting household waste. They educate companies on how to go green at their offices, and hold lectures for the wider public.
- Laska: It’s a chain of two charity stores in Kyiv that promote conscious shopping. They accept donated clothes, resell 15% of them, and send the rest to orphanages, homes for the elderly and centers for people with disabilities.
- Help the homeless: This initiative supports homeless people & the elderly in need, by providing them with free meals, medicine, hygiene products, clothes & shoes. Launched by a group of volunteers in 2016, the organization has been relying on crowdfunding.
- Suka Zhizn: This organization grew big from a 2017 Instagram account launched to tell stories of homeless people. Now volunteers provide various support to the homeless: employment, sorting out documents, searching for relatives & legal counseling.
- Slidstvo: Is an independent agency launched in 2012 that produces award-winning documentaries exposing corruption. They have investigated mismanagement of prisons, fraud, money laundering at PrivatBank & the assassination of journalist Sheremet.
- UKRPravda News: Founded in 2000 by Gongadze, a prominent journalist who was killed the same year, this publication is among the most influential in Ukraine. The reporters break political scoops and unmask officials who abuse their power.
- Zaborona Media: This is an independent media outlet founded by journalists. They investigate topics such as violations of Ukrainian workers’ rights in the Middle East, arms trafficking, and corruption in the construction sector.
- Parkhomivka Museum: The museum, located in a small village in eastern Kharkiv Oblast, is an 18th-century villa that offers a permanent collection of exhibits by artists as iconic as Picasso, Malevich & Manet. You can support it by coming & buying a ticket.
- Save Kyiv Modernism: Is a movement that unites architects, designers and activists who advocate for the protection of the remarkable Soviet modernist structures across Ukraine.
- FrankivskToCareAbout: Is a movement for the preservation of architectural heritage in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk. Founded in 2016, the initiative renovates old wooden doors of the city's ancient buildings.
- Svoyi: Svoyi gives free oxygen concentrators to people who contracted COVID & can’t be hospitalized due to personal circumstances or when hospitals are overflowing. It also helps those discharged too early in favour of patients in more serious conditions.
- Monsters, Inc.: This organization is based in Odesa and provides emergency medical aid to people living in the region. They also help COVID hospitals, procuring medicines and equipment.
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