Czech company ROUVY is participating in efforts to provide humanitarian aid to people in Ukraine. It has launched ‘Ride for Ukraine’, an initiative that can be joined by all users of the ROUVY indoor bike training application.
As part of the initiative ROUVY will send €1 to UNICEF for every cyclist who completes a short virtual ride near Kyiv on the ROUVY platform.
The company notes that… ‘Individuals and businesses are endeavouring to alleviate the impact of the acts of war on the Ukrainian population. According to charity organizations, direct financial assistance is the most effective form of aid. Bearing that in mind, the ROUVY team from the South Bohemian town of Vimperk has joined the fundraising effort.’
“Our users come from various parts of the world,” said ROUVY CEO Petr Samek. “For every person who takes part in this charity appeal and completes an easy virtual trip around Ukraine’s capital Kiev, we will send €1 to the UNICEF account.
“We estimate that no less than €25,000 in humanitarian aid will be sent to people in Ukraine. We have tested this form of helping people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ROUVY users showed their willingness to help through sport.
“The present appeal is distributed to our entire community, which includes approximately 900,000 cyclists around the world. We consider it important to let ROUVY users know our stance regarding the war in Ukraine.
ROUVY’s team includes employees from various countries, including Ukraine. “The war began with a missile attack that included bombing an airport near my home town, Zhytomyr,” said Yuriy Ryashko, a member of the ROUVY marketing team.
“Ukraine is now reporting dozens of civilian and military casualties. The attack is a heavy blow to the Ukrainian economy and infrastructure, both of which it will take years to restore, not to mention that it is now impossible to predict how long the conflict will last.
“My relatives and friends are in Ukraine and they’re fighting for independence. Because of that, I’m grateful to everyone in the Czech Republic for their support.”
One of ROUVY’s owners is Pale Fire Capital, an investment group that has called for support for Ukraine. It has reportedly allocated US$1 million for instant humanitarian aid, and secured accommodation for 250 refugees.
