It's all about the people

Please donate

When I sit down to write I try and think of something interesting and different that I can link to software development.

In this case, while there are parallels, and you may wish to transpose some of these thoughts onto software development, I would be doing the people of Ukraine a massive disservice by using their plight in this way.

Ukraine is a very large software hub. Global brands and companies depend on the people of Ukraine. Their skills and expertise underpins a lot of household applications. Companies include UK and US Financial institutions. There’s over 200,000 tech specialists in Ukraine. Also, SkillValue recognised Ukrainian software engineers among the world’s best.

That’s a lot of people that need help. Some have fled their homes to neighbouring countries. Some have put down their keyboards and picked up rifles. Some Ukrainians are scared, some are angry.

Supporting the people and Ukraine itself will lead to better outcomes for both. Anything that can move the needle will help.

The world response and support to Ukraine has been quite frankly amazing, and I would say unparalleled. From the gaming community, Epic (Fornite), Humble Bundle and countless others have raised millions to help the people of Ukraine.

For the support to continue it’s important that this war never stops being headline news. I worry when I see a headline that isn’t about Ukraine. Something that was deemed more important or interesting to capture readers attention. It’s this slow normalisation of the current situation that is dangerous to the people of Ukraine.

Like the focus on Covid has ebbed away in favour of Ukraine, we don’t want to see some generic news take the place of Covid, Ukraine and its people. The news on Afghanistan has gone shamefully quiet with the occasional update. There are countless others.

For sure, this will be etched into the people minds. Ukrainians won’t be loosing focus.

People have lost their jobs, people have lost their families and loved ones. They’ve lost their homes and they risk losing their country.

The main reason that I’m writing this is to try and ensure that the focus remains on Ukraine and its people.

Please donate, whether that be financial, food, clothing or even your home.

Please donate.

It’s all about the people.


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Chris Sheldon is a Project Manager for DataArt Ltd. DataArt are a global software engineering firm that takes a uniquely human approach to solving problems.

In his career Chris Sheldon has been a Software Developer, Scrum Master, Development Manager and more. He’s decided that people are harder than process, so this is where his attention is now targeted!

Chris graduated in the UK from Reading University with a degree in Electronic Engineering and Cybernetics.

A bit of a Agile enthusiast, productivity nerd and Wantrepreneur Chris really needs to decide what he wants to do in life and focus.

You can connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or by visiting his website, ITsChrisSheldon