ACO Fond Ukraine
ACO Fond Ukraine is an endowment fund, in the form of an emergency relief fund, that was established based on the decision of the ACO holding in response to current events in Ukraine. The aim is to give ACO employees the opportunity to financially help colleagues in war-torn Ukraine.
Financial donations will be primarily used for:
- covering the living costs of ACO staff and their family members who have been forced to flee their homes.
- providing humanitarian aid to ACO staff and their families who have decided to stay in Ukraine but have very limited access to basic food and hygiene needs.
- helping to rebuild their homes after the end of the war.
Purposes of the relief fund:
The purpose of the fund is to achieve publicly beneficial goals, especially to help those in need.
The fund achieves this purpose by providing endowment contributions and further implementing its own activities aimed at fulfilling this purpose. The main goals of the fund include providing financial, material, humanitarian, legal, professional or educational support for disadvantaged groups or individuals.
For this purpose, the fund is entitled, among other things, to conduct public collections and charity auctions.
- We are transparent in our activities and handling of financial donations.
- All endowment contributions are approved by the holding's representatives, the applicants are informed of the result in all cases.
- We regularly provide a financial audit, the results of which we always publish in full.
- Every year we publish a complete annual report with detailed information about our activities and management.
- We carefully select members of administrative and supervisory functions on the basis of their expertise and undeniable moral credit.
- We have due respect for our donors.
Contact:
Bank details:
If your banking application supports QR payments:
- Please login in your internet banking application
- After you are logged in please scan QR code with your phone
- Account information of ACO Fond Ukraine will appear automatically
- Fill in amount in EUR you want to donate and confirm payment
FAQ:
If you would like to get a donation confirmation form for tax purposes please contact Hana Ira via E-Mail: hira@aco.cz.
Newsletter:
If you wish to stay up to date, please sign up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter below.
Dear Friends,
On 29th March 2022 ACO established ACO Fond Ukraine in response to current events in Ukraine and huge willingness of ACO people to help their colleagues in our Ukrainian companies in Kulykiv and Kyiv.
This newsletter is to inform you on a regular basis about the condition of the fond, situation in our companies and donations granted from the fond.
We are pleased to inform you that the total amount of your donations on bank accounts is 32 926 Euro at the moment.
Thank you all who have contributed and those who are considering it. Thanks to your support we can start to help where urgently needed.
The foundation Board and representatives of the ACO holding company in close communication with the managing directors of ACO Kulykiv Igor Savka and ACO Kiev Dmytro Ilyin have decided how to use the first donations.
Now and in the following newsletters we will give you an overview about it. In cause of respecting privacy, please understand that we will not mention any names.
First donations were given to one of our colleagues who lost their son in the war. We supported the family with contribution on decent funeral ceremony. Our human resource department from ACO Kulykiv sent us a very emotional text in response to these donations:
„I would like to tell you about our colleague who has been working for us for 4 years. She is a great worker, very beautiful woman and really good person. She has brought up two wonderful sons who were her only reliable support. When the war broke out, her two sons were mobilized at once. On April 13, we received information that one of her sons had died while performing military tasks on the front lines in combat. There are no words to describe her state and feelings... We all grieve together with our colleague. Now we are trying to help and support her in these difficult times, because we are all one family, ACO family, and we also experience the pain and sorrow of her family. A certain amount was collected by Kulykiv employees to help with funeral expenses. Also, thanks to the ACO Fund, thanks to all ACO employees who are donating funds to the ACO Fund, we were able to pay financial assistance to her. Therefore, I thank each of you for the big support during this difficult time. Now our attention is focused on legally helping our colleague to get back her dearest second son. We are working with lawyers and looking for information that would help bring her second son back home. We all believe and hope that we will succeed.“
From Mariana Kaperyz, HR ACO Kulykiv
The second donation payment was sent to the purchase of power banks: On Tuesday, 3rd of May, several power stations were hit in Lviv. This caused huge blackouts and our colleagues were out of engine for a while! Therefore, our Kulykiv colleagues requested power banks for being able to use power while experiencing another unexpected blackout.
This pictures shows one of the first humanitarian support delivery that has been packed and delivered by our colleagues in ACO Přibyslav to help our colleagues in the Ukraine.
ACO Kulykiv production is running. Sometimes interrupted by sirens, but running. As Mariana Kaperyz, HR Manager says: people do not want to give up on their normal lives, usual habits and this attitude and possibility to work help them stay strong.
Here is the strong message to all of us from Igor Savka, Managing Director of ACO Kulykiv.
If you wish to stay up to date, please sing up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter here.
ACO FOND Ukraine can be supported through this bank account:
Account currency: EUR
IBAN: CZ21 2700 0000 0000 0022 8822
SWIFT: BACXCZPP
More information about the Fond can be found here:
aco-fond-ukraine-english
Our ACO family is big, strong and solidary. A big thank you once again to all of you who have already contributed and we hope that the support will continue to grow.
Best regards,
Jan Cisek, Søren Olsen, Wolfgang Beigl
Dear colleagues,
We are getting back to you with latest information about our ACO Fund Ukraine.
We are pleased to inform you that the total amount of your donations on bank accounts is 60 128 Euro at the moment.
We would like to thank all ACO colleagues who contributed their donations to the fund or helped in any other way to support our colleagues in Ukraine.
Special thanks to the "ACO Altenclub Rendsburg" - an association of retired ACO colleagues - and ACO Canada for their significant donations.
LATEST DONATIONS:
On request of our management from ACO Kulykiv we funded purchase of baby food and baby nappies to provide them to our ACO families with small children. This request is due to a shortage of those products at local shops at the moment.
Here, you can find pictures from the moment the baby supplies and power banks (from the last donation request of our colleagues) were delivered.
Our colleagues asked for power banks to keep their mobile phones in charge during electricity downs. In May, several power stations were hit in Lviv and this causes regular unexpected blackouts in the city.
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES:
Our ACO companies have started to organize fundraising activities. Our next newsletter will focus on this topic specifically as some countries have had some great ideas. Keep you updated here.
PERSONAL NOTE:
At the end of today’s newsletter, we would like to share a story of one of our colleagues from Kyiv who had to flee from Ukraine to keep her children safe:
I have been with ACO for 15 years. I feel to be a part of a big and friendly ACO family, and my heart belongs to ACO.
24th of February 2022 the War in Ukraine started. As we lived in Kyiv we were in the epicenter of it.
That day I had a call from ACO Pribyslav with words of support, sympathy - ”whatever my family needs, if to be under protection - we can find it in Czech Republic”.
It was really very important to feel support and know that you are not alone in this horribile situation and you can find safe place for your kids.
First week, we stayed in Motherland. Seeing the horrors of War in Ukraine, my family took decision to leave Ukraine and go abroad to be safe with two kids (son 12 years old and daughter 6 years old).
My husband didn’t leave and stayed in Ukraine. It happened on 2nd of March 2022. For some time we stayed in Romania, more than one month in Hungary (thanks to support of ACO Hungary), and from 19th of April we have been in the Czech Republic. My kids went to school and I started working in ACO Pribyslav.
I appreciate that now my kids and me are safe and we feel protection from beloved ACO Family.
If you wish to stay up to date, please sing up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter here.
ACO FOND Ukraine can be supported through this bank account:
Account currency: EUR
IBAN: CZ21 2700 0000 0000 0022 8822
SWIFT: BACXCZPP
More information about the Fond can be found here:
Our ACO family is big, strong and solidary. A big thank you once again to all of you who have already contributed and we hope that the support will continue to grow.
Best regards,
Jan Cisek, Søren Olsen, Wolfgang Beigl
Dear colleagues,
We are getting back to you with latest information about our ACO Fond Ukraine.
We are pleased to inform you that the total amount of your donations on bank accounts is 66.860Euro at the moment.
Let us thank all ACO colleagues who contributed their donations to the fund or helped in any other way to support our colleagues in Ukraine.
LATEST DONATIONS:
On request of our management from ACO Kulykiv we funded the purchase of headlamps for all employees of ACO Kulykiv and iodide tablets for all family members of our employees.The reason for the headlamps are the continuous alarms and constant danger of power stations black outs. Headlamps will give our colleagues a better feeling of safety during that times.
The iodide tablets are used to prevent the effects of radiation on human health. We were asked to provide them to our employees in ACO Kulykiv and their families who feel unsafe in this respect due to the conflict near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station.
Here, you can find some impressions of how the requested headlamps and iodide tablets were handed over to our colleagues:
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES:
A lot of ACO companies have started to organize fundraising activities to support our fund. Today, we would like to share some of them with you.
Below you can find a video of the ACO Pribyslav Fundraising dinner, an interview with Carmen Gillet about all the helpful fundraising activities from ACO USA and highlights about the ACO UK Quiz night shared by Katja Kersten. Feel free to read and share:
ACO Pribyslav Fundraising |Link to the video
ACO USA Fundraising activities | Interview with Carmen Gillet
What kind of fundraising activities have you initiated at ACO USA?
- Pizza, Soda, Popcorn and Sub sandwich sales | We coordinate this to happen on the pay day Fridays once a month.
- Baked Goods Sales | Employees donated baked goods and all proceeds went to the fund.
- Raffled off Premier parking in Casa Grande | With the heat, people wanted the front spot under the canopy. This was a great incentive to buy tickets.
- ACO Peace for Ukraine T-shirt sales | Please see the picture below.
- Spare Change competition between Departments | Challenge to each department to see who could collect the most “spare change”.
What kind of activities were the most popular ones?
6. They have all been successful but the Scratchers were the most popular. If the 3 images matched on your card, you could win up to 100 Rendsees (Rendsees are “ACO US money” that can be spend in our own ACO Store)
How much money were you able to raise due to those activities?
7. To date, ACO US employees have donated $8,025.70. Our ACO USA Engagement Team is still working on new ideas to generate more money for the fund and to support our colleagues.
(author Gesa Suhr)
ACO UK Fundraising | Katja Kersten reports on Quiz Night
Thursday 1st September 2022 - the ACO Off-Duty Committee (an employee led committee in ACO Technologies plc in the UK that is made up of employees, who organize events for the employees) entertained 40 ACO employees at this year’s ACO Quiz Night. The evening took place in a local pub and the participants worked hard answering the variety of questions that were presented to them.
The fantastic ACO Quiz Trophy was won by ‘the Grate team’ formed by Building Drainage participants. They will have the pleasure of having this prestigious shiny plastic cup in their offices all year (please see the picture below).
The quiz raised €200 for the ACO Fund Ukraine.
If you wish to stay up to date, please sing up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter here
ACO FOND Ukraine can be supported through this bank account:
Account currency: EUR
IBAN: CZ21 2700 0000 0000 0022 8822
SWIFT: BACXCZPP
More information about the Fond can be found here:
Our ACO family is big, strong and solidary. A big thank you once again to all of you who have already contributed and we hope that the support will continue to grow.
Best regards,
Jan Cisek, Søren Olsen, Wolfgang Beigl
Dear colleagues,
we are getting back to you with latest information about our ACO Fond Ukraine.
We are pleased to inform you that the current total amount of your donations on bank accounts is 46 000 Euro.
Let us thank all ACO colleagues who contributed their donations to the fund or helped in any other way to support our colleagues in Ukraine.
LATEST DONATIONS:
On request of our management from ACO Kulykiv we funded the purchase of following items for each employee of ACO Kulykiv:
- one gas cooker and five spare cartridges
- two sleeping bags
- a Christmas present for each child
The reason for the request of gas cookers and sleeping bags are the constant danger of power stations black outs and gas supply instability. To prevent our colleagues from freezing, we funded the purchase of sleeping bags. Cookers will help them to cover emergency cooking for their families.
Here, you can find some impressions from our colleagues in ACO Kulykiv:
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES:
A lot of ACO companies have started to organize fundraising activities to support our fund. Today, we would like to share some of them with you.
ACO Nordic fundraising | reported byShannon Duncan
ACO Nordic Group in Denmark held an auction and a lottery during their summer party to support our colleagues in Ukraine. Because of our fantastic supporting team we were able to collect 3.815,00 EUR.
We are very proud that our colleagues supported the event and that we have been able to contribute to the ACO Fond Ukraine.
Below some pictures from the auction and lottery.
ACO Australia fundraising | reported byLauren Clark
The team of ACO Australia held a BBQ to raise funds for ACO Ukraine. It was wonderful how many employees bought into the fundraising efforts and were able to raise $865 through the following channels:
- Bake sale with donated baked goodies by our employees
- Sale of Peace for Ukraine branded umbrellas – this was a HUGE success with all of this rain we have been having in Sydney!
- Winners from the Melbourne Cup Sweep have donated their winnings to the fund
- Metal fabrication and donation of a handmade knife by our employee Lachlan Scowcroft
ACO USA support | reported by Carmen Gillet
Today, we would like to share with you warm greetings from ACO USA employees to our Ukrainian colleagues: click here to see the video.
If you wish to stay up to date, please sing up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter here
ACO FOND Ukraine can be supported through this bank account:
Account currency: EUR
IBAN: CZ21 2700 0000 0000 0022 8822
SWIFT: BACXCZPP
Further information about the Fond can be found on our website:
Thank you once again to everybody who has already contributed to the fund.
We hope that the support will continue to grow.
Best regards,
Jan Cisek, Søren Olsen, Wolfgang Beigl
Dear colleagues,
we are getting back to you with latest information about our ACO Fond Ukraine.
We are pleased to inform you that the total amount of your donations for the last year reached 81 630 Euro. Due to the requested and donated items, the current sum on fund bank accounts is 42 850 Euro.
Let us thank all ACO colleagues who contributed their donations to the fund or helped in any other way to support our colleagues in Ukraine.
A year of the war by our ACO colleagues in Kulykiv
Halyna, Locksmith, Production
On February 23, my husband and I went to sleep while the president declared emergency state in Ukraine. At 6:00 a.m. on February 24, when we started preparing ourselves for work, we turned on the TV and heard that the war had begun. We were very scared. There were constant worries during all day and night, which affected our mental health and, in general, the mental health of all people in Ukraine. This is something we were not prepared for. And we did not understand how to act. A few days later, while we were sleeping, we woke up in the middle of the night from loud explosions. The whole house shuddered and lit up from the explosions. We quickly jumped to our feet. Soon a fire was visible from the window and a loud noise was heard. Columns of smoke rose was in the direction of the military part and from the side of Lviv. Something terrible was happening to our minds. A strong explosion was heard. We prayed and asked God for salvation.
We are learning to live in a new reality that is very difficult to perceive, especially psychologically. Since all the time we live in anxiety, fear and without any understanding of what will happen tomorrow. Sad news from losses every day. Terrible news … it would seem that nothing surprises you anymore, but every time you read it and it shocks you, you don't understand where the border of cruelty and inhumanity is…
This is how we live every day.We live by the news and look for positive things among it all - new de-occupied territories, soldiers returned from captivity, news about help from other countries.
Work helps us to distract ourselves a bit, gives us a sense of security that we will be able to support our families, this is important now. Thanks to our factory management, they try to create safe conditions in the factory and support. Even in such difficult conditions, they try to make some pleasant to raise morale spirit and nice mood in general.
I hope that the world will not turn its back on us and will continue to support us. Thank you all our ACO colleagues for their support and help in a difficult time, it is so important to understand and feel that we are not alone in this tragedy. We are waiting for our soon victory.
… more stories please read here
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES:
A lot of ACO companies organized fundraising activities at the end of the year to support our fund. Let’s have a look at some of them.
ACO UK | reported by Sue Marchini
ACO UK & Ireland have collected a total of £6,316 through various fundraising activities and initiatives:
- A total of £5,959 was raised through the sale of mobile phones and computer equipment to staff. This was a great way of making sure this equipment didn’t end up in landfill while also raising money for such a good cause.
- £237 was raised by the sales team during their Christmas sales conference. All attendees at the conference had to wear a Christmas themed jumper and those who didn’t take part were fined on the spot. It was all in good spirit and everyone donated generously.
- £120 was raised by Scarlett and Ivy Smith, daughters of Damian Smith, Finance Business Partner for ACO Water Management. Scarlett and her sister Ivy used their entrepreneur skills to raise this money by baking Ukraine themed cakes and making handmade keyrings and selling them in school.
ACO Ahlmann SE & Co. KG | reported by Marie Stock
Innovative strength, success and strong cohesion - all this is typical for the ACO family.
A few months ago, two product managers Tim Uhing and Florian Meyer, both from the drainage division in Rendsburg , were able to celebrate a great success: The ACO DrainBox they developed with combined line and point drainage was very well received at the trade fairs and was awarded several prizes - including the Innovation Award at the Infratech trade fair in Essen. We were recently pleased to accept the check for 1,000 euros for this prize.
As a sign of cohesion in times of crisis, the team decided to donate this money to the ACO Fond Ukraine. Igor Savka, Managing Director of ACO Ukraine, and Jan Cisek, Subgroup Manager of ACO CZI, were on hand via video conference for the handover and were visibly pleased with this heartfelt gesture.
ACO Pribyslav | reported by Hana Ira
On the 25th November ACO Industries Přibyslav organized a fundraising activity at its Christmas party.
The theme of the event was upcoming Christmas and every employee had a chance to get Christmas accessories in exchange of donating money to the ACO Fund Ukraine.
We were very happy that it was a success and 1.040 EUR was raised.
It was heartwarming to see most of our colleagues to pitch in and be able to help our colleagues from Ukraine at these extremely difficult times.
Donation confirmation for tax purposes
If you need a donation confirmation for tax purposes, please contact Alena Mikulicova (amikulicova@aco.cz). Please keep in mind that it can take some processing time.
If you wish to stay up to date, please sing up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter here
ACO FOND Ukraine can be supported through this bank account:
Account currency: EUR
IBAN: CZ21 2700 0000 0000 0022 8822
SWIFT: BACXCZPP
Further information about the Fond can be found on our website:
Thank you once again to everybody who has already contributed to the fund.
We hope that the support will continue to grow.
Best regards,
Jan Cisek, Søren Olsen, Wolfgang Beigl
Dear colleagues,
let us thank all ACO colleagues who contributed their donations to the fund or helped in any other way to support our colleagues in Ukraine. We are more than pleased to inform you that the total bank balance of our funds account is 44,290 Euro.
LATEST DONATIONS:
At the very beginning of the fund it was agreed that we will especially support our colleagues coming back from the army. We are happy to inform you that two out of ten conscripted colleagues, Andriy N. and Roman N., have returned home safe and we were able to welcome them back to ACO Kulykiv. Both of them received a donation of 50 000 UAH to support them and their families at the very beginning of their every day life.
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES:
ACO companies organized fundraising activities to support our fund. In this Newsletter let’s have a look at the great events of the ACO Pan Pacific Group and let’s get inspired:
ACO USA
- ACO Ukraine Burger Day (Donations raised: $1,108.70)
Raul Rivera (Production Planner) grilled about 80 hamburger patties at our Casa Grande, Arizona location. Many volunteered to donate money so they could enjoy a tasty hamburger.
Jenell Unger (HR Generalist) and Michelle Cox (Key Operator/HR Assistant) both grilled burgers at our Mentor, Ohio location. Our Ft. Mill, South Carolina location has very few employees and they decided to go out and buy hamburgers for those employees that donated money.
- Rummage Sale (Donations raised: $808.66)
Casa Grande employees and Mentor employees gathered items from their homes and donated them to be sold at the ACO Ukraine Rummage Sale fundraiser. The items ranged from lamps, exercise equipment, games, baby items and more. Only new or gently used items were allowed, no clothing. It was such a success, employees are asking when the next rummage sale will be.
- Salsa & Dip Contest – Employees from all three locations (Casa Grande, Arizona; Mentor, Ohio; Ft Mill, South Carolina) prepared their favorite salsa and dip recipes and submitted them for the Ukraine Fund Raiser contest. Employees donated $5.00 to receive a chance to taste test the salsas and dips and vote for the best one. Winners were selected from each location.
ACO Australia
- Easter Basket Raffle (Donations raised: $200)
Our Australian colleagues in Emu Plains decided to do an Easter Basket Raffle. They gathered items to fill the 2 baskets with assorted candies.
- The Valentine Fund Raiser (Donations raised: $1,122.86)
Employees were able to pre-order flowers/candy bar/custom-made Valentine Day cards made by Josh Fourrier (IT Communication Systems Analyst) and have them sent to other employees in the offices. Each flower and candy bar was sold for $5.00 each. For every flower and candy bar each person purchased, their name was put into a jar for another raffle. The selected raffle winner won a gift card to a nice restaurant.
New Zealand
- Cook for Ukraine (New Zealand) (Donations raised: $350)
ACO New Zealand incorporated some Ukraine culture with their fund raiser. They prepared dishes using Ukrainian recipes. The dishes they prepared were shared with all employees.
Big thank you for those beautiful fundraising activities!
If you wish to stay up to date, please sing up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter here
ACO FOND Ukraine can be supported through this bank account:
Account currency: EUR
IBAN: CZ21 2700 0000 0000 0022 8822
SWIFT: BACXCZPP
Further information about the Fond can be found on our website:
Thank you once again to everybody who has already contributed to the fund.
We hope that the support will continue to grow.
Best regards,
Jan Cisek, Søren Olsen, Wolfgang Beigl
Dear colleagues,
let us thank all ACO colleagues who contributed their donations to the fund or helped in any other way to support our colleagues in Ukraine. We are more than pleased to inform you that the total bank balance of our funds account is 29 550 Euro.
LATEST DONATIONS:
We are happy to inform you that two out of eleven conscripted colleagues, Oleksandr U. and Volodymyr R. have returned home safe and we were able to welcome them back to ACO Kulykiv. Both of them received a donation of 1245 Euro to support them and their families at the very beginning of their every day life.
At the same time, the fund financed the purchase of 22 iPads as Christmas gifts for the children from the families whose fathers were mobilized. Do you know that 22 children of ACO Kulykiv employees spent last Christmas without fathers?
This Christmas gift should help the children with their education, interaction with other kids, contact with their fathers and should also serve as a distraction for leisure time.
Mariana Kaperyz, HR Manager ACO Kulykiv reports:
I want to express my gratitude for your support in buying IPads for the kids, who were very moved and happy to get them. Their joy was evident on their faces.
We organized a small event for the children that day. Here is what we did. We introduced ourselves and our General manager explained a bit about the factory, its uniqueness and products.
We gave them a tour of the factory and showed them where their parents work.
Later we invited the children to the office, where they enjoyed some sweets that we prepared for them. This was probably the most exciting part. They were so delighted with the treats. We had a nice conversation with the kids, who told us about their interests, hobbies and future aspirations.
At the end we presented children with iPads, iPads covers, a box of sweets and a special gift that we made for them in our factory - a Christmas tree ornament.
I must say - it was a great choice of a gift for the children. Their surprise and happiness from the iPads was incredible.
Some of them, when they received the gift, asked: «Is this really for me?? I can't believe I have my own tablet! Is it mine only??» It was amazing. I was touched because we fulfilled their dream.
It was also funny that when the kids were leaving, they had many packages and some mothers offered to help the smaller ones to carry them, but they refused to let go of their IPads even for a moment and wanted to hold them by themselves.
If you wish to stay up to date, please sing up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter here
ACO FOND Ukraine can be supported through this bank account:
Account currency: EUR
IBAN: CZ21 2700 0000 0000 0022 8822
SWIFT: BACXCZPP
Further information about the Fond can be found on our website:
Thank you once again to everybody who has already contributed to the fund.
We hope that the support will continue to grow.
Best regards,
Jan Cisek, Søren Olsen, Wolfgang Beigl
Dear colleagues,
Ukraine has endured 1,000 days of war, and sadly, there is no clear end in sight. It is expected that the coming autumn and winter will be difficult for our colleagues in Ukraine. Therefore, we kindly request your continued support for Ukraine.
With this newsletter we would like to give you a glimpse into the lives of our colleagues in this horrific time of war. As the attacks come closer and closer to our premises in Lviv, the situation is getting worse. Nevertheless, our colleagues remain strong - supported by the help of the ACO family. To get a deeper understanding of what they are facing day by day, they tell us their personal stories. Read how you can support the ACO Fond Ukraine at the end of the newsletter.
Igor Savka, General Manager, ACO Industries, Ukraine
Lviv, 4th September 2024
“You wake up at 4 a.m. to the sound of an air raid siren. You check telegram for updates on what’s happening. By 4:15, the bombing begins. Drones and rockets approach Lviv from different directions, and you find yourself hiding with your family in the bathroom—the only refuge nearby, as there’s no shelter close enough.
The explosions are so loud that your apartment shakes. Mirrors and windows rattle with each blast. Your family turns to you, asking what to do, but all you can offer is a reassuring, “Everything will be okay.” The bombing goes on for three long hours. Rockets land just 2 kilometers from your home, and some of your colleagues report strikes falling less than 800 meters from them.
You try to call your parents, but the mobile connection is weak, nearly impossible to maintain. After five hours, the air raid finally ends. You follow the news, learning that many missiles have hit the city. You check in with your team, anxiously waiting for each person’s message to confirm they’re safe.
Then, it’s time to get into your car and drive to work. Despite everything, you need to stay calm and supportive for your colleagues. You smile, participate in several international and internal meetings, but the exhaustion weighs heavy. The news continues to flood in: 7 people dead, more than 65 injured, 188 residential buildings damaged. A whole family—mother and three daughters—killed, leaving only the father behind. A tragedy in your own city.
You send support to those who need it. You text your friends, asking if they’re safe, while friends abroad message you, concerned for your well-being. But you stay strong.
The next day, you represent your company and receive an award from the Head of the Lviv Regional Administrative Office for many years of dedicated work and significant contributions to the region’s entrepreneurial development. You feel proud to work for such a company.
Another day passes. The attacks continue over the next few days, leading to more sleepless nights, followed by yet another “normal” working day. Life continues!“
Dmytro Ilyin, Managing Director, ACO Building Elements Ltd, Ukraine
Kyiv, 9th September 2024
“Dear Colleagues,
I wanted to share an update from ACO Ukraine. In a little less than two months, Ukraine will have endured 1,000 days of resisting and withstanding these cruel attacks. In many ways, life has become divided into "before" and "after."
A country is, first and foremost, its people. With 15% of the population forced to leave the place they call home, we are living in a new reality. There have been dramatic changes across all sectors of the economy, including the construction industry. Cities in eastern Ukraine such as Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kryvyi Rih—each once home to over a million people—are now under daily missile, ballistic, and drone attacks.
The eastern industrial cluster no longer exists. Power generation and distribution facilities are being targeted almost daily. If electricity is the lifeblood of the modern world, then our heart stops beating for 6-12 hours a day.
The challenges for individuals, families, and society as a whole are immense. On a personal level, people are learning how to find faith and balance in this new normal, where lives are shattered. Understanding one's role in these new circumstances, ensuring personal safety, and helping others has become part of everyday life. We have learned new survival skills—like how to shelter between two walls, open windows to minimize the blast wave's impact, and rely on flashlights, power banks, and the occasional company of strangers in underground bunkers during air raids.
Some companies have left the country, some have moved west, and others remain.
ACO Ukraine continues to work, supporting projects in infrastructure, buildings, and the food industry. In many ways, our company reflects the spirit of the country.
One of our colleagues is currently serving in the army in the east, and we are supporting Alexander. As winter approaches, we will ensure he has the thermal protection and equipment he needs to stay safe.
Other teammates and friends have left—some seeking a better life in Poland, while others have joined other ACO companies in Canada and the US. Together, we remain a strong family you can rely on.“
How You Can Help: Support ACO Fond Ukraine
As you know, Ukraine continues to face unprecedented challenges as a result of the ongoing war. One of the most pressing issues is the severe disruption of the country's energy supply. The war has severely damaged the country's energy infrastructure, and attacks on power plants have left millions without reliable electricity.
Despite these immense challenges, Ukraine remains resilient. But the need for support is greater than ever, and every contribution counts.
Mariana Kaperyz, HR manager, ACO Industries, Kulykiv, Ukraine
8th September 2024
“We are grateful for your continued support of ACO employees as we enter the third year of the war. This fosters a strong sense of belonging to the larger ACO family and reassures us that we are not alone in this.
The goods we’ve acquired through the Fund have been incredibly valuable to our employees, especially given the current circumstances.
Currently, 10 colleagues from ACO Kulykiv have been mobilized, and we are committed to being prepared to offer them our full support.“
We are working closely with our sister organizations in Ukraine. At their request, we sent an additional 15 power stations in September to support our colleagues during power outage.
Future Fundraising Activities: How We Can Make a Difference Together
We are reaching out to you, as part of our international community, to join us in helping Ukraine in this difficult period. Your contributions will directly support our colleagues in Ukraine.
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Donate – Your financial support will make a direct difference
- Host a fundraising event – Organize a local event, such as a charity run or auction, with proceeds going to the Fund.
- Spread the word – Share this newsletter and our fundraising campaigns with your ACO network.
Together, We Can Light the Way Forward
As we stand united with our colleagues and friends in Ukraine, your support can bring warmth, light, and hope. Even small actions can make a big difference in these difficult times.
We will continue to update you on the situation and how your contributions are making an impact. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to helping our ACO colleagues.
If you wish to stay up to date, please sing up to our International ACO Fond Ukraine Newsletter here
ACO FOND Ukraine can be supported through this bank account:
Account currency: EUR
IBAN: CZ21 2700 0000 0000 0022 8822
SWIFT: BACXCZPP
Further information about the Fund can be found on our website:
Thank you once again to everyone who has already contributed to the fund. We hope the support will continue to grow.
With gratitude,
Jan Císek, Wolfgang Beigl, Søren Olsen, Dan Obrtel
September 2024