SUMMARY

The project in a nutshell

• Between March and December 2022, Bus-loads of Hope provided buses, fuel, and maintenance to evacuate over 4,500 people from Ukraine’s war zones, and to deliver humanitarian aid to these areas.

• Our Ukrainian partner CFSR has since built a strong operational structure in Kharkiv, enabling continued social and emergency use of the buses until today.

• The project was launched in late February 2022. The first buses were handed over in Ukraine by Gigahertz Ventures in early March, marking the start of evacuations.

• The project has operated exclusively in Ukraine from the beginning—supported by CFSR, ICC Ukraine, Libereco e.V., and many others.

• Buses are fuel-efficient and can carry both people and supplies. All services were strictly humanitarian and free of charge, coordinated with IOM and Ukrainian authorities.

• As of January 2023, donations were paused due to reduced emergency needs, but the structure can be reactivated anytime if required.

Current Situation (Latest Update: June 4, 2024)

Update - June 04, 2024

After the buses had been in service mainly for social purposes in the Kharkiv Oblast since the end of 2022 (see blog entry from September 26, 2023), they are currently being used again for evacuation purposes in the north and northeast of the Kharkiv Oblast due to the Russian attacks.

Update - December 12, 2023

This year, we visited Kharkiv several times and were able to witness the continued use of the buses first-hand.

Our partner organization CFSR in Kharkiv has since established solid and efficient structures, and the buses remain in full operation. Their use includes support in contested areas of the Kharkiv region as well as social projects in the city itself — for example, initiatives for children and elderly people.

Update - September 30, 2023

In September 2023, one of the buses operated by CFSR and Gigahertz Ventures was handed over to the city of Kupiansk during a visit to Kharkiv, with Stefan (Gigahertz Ventures) present.

Kupiansk lies directly on the frontline in Kharkiv Oblast and has been heavily contested for many months — and now, for years.

Update – January 1, 2023:
Donations for the project were (temporarily) suspended as of December 31, 2022. Remaining funds will continue to support evacuations during the first months of 2023.

The background is that the acute need for evacuations in Ukraine is currently no longer present or is now being well covered by Ukrainian structures and international aid organizations.  If necessary, the structures of Bus-loads of Hope can be reactivated quickly at any time.

If you would like to support the project by contributing to bus maintenance or diesel costs, please feel free to get in touch with us.

Update – November 23, 2022:
Evacuations from Kherson Oblast have begun. For more details, please see our  Busblog.

Update – October 14, 2022:
Evacuations from Zaporizhzhia have resumed.

Update – September 30, 2022: Evacuations Temporarily Suspended Due to Mobilization and Referendums

Due to the Russian mobilization and the referendums in occupied territories, civilians are currently being prevented from leaving contested and occupied areas. On September 27, 2022, the mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenko, told tagesschau.de: “We can see from the statistics that just a week ago, a hundred people were arriving daily from the occupied territories. Yesterday, there were only eight.” Source: Tagesschau.de

Our Ukrainian partners have confirmed this situation. For this reason, evacuations are currently on hold. CFSR expects a sharp increase in evacuations as soon as people are allowed to leave these regions again.

Update August 01, 2022

First-Hand Insights from Zaporizhzhia – Summer 2022

At the end of July 2022, we had the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the evacuation situation in Zaporizhzhia. We spoke with numerous individuals who had just managed to flee from Mariupol, Kherson, and the occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia region. Many reported a sharp increase in the number of people attempting to escape from these regions.

At the same time, people described unimaginable conditions at Russian checkpoints. According to those we interviewed—many of whom had passed the final checkpoint only hours earlier—the Russian army was deliberately obstructing civilian exits from the occupied territories. Some even reported the use of human shields by Russian forces.

We also learned that evacuations carried out by aid organizations such as CFSR continue to play a crucial role, particularly for the elderly, women with children, and people with disabilities. Many of those we spoke with emphasized that they would not have been able to undertake the journey without support from organizations like CFSR. This is because these organizations not only organize evacuations but also ensure follow-up care and housing. After spending months in the occupied territories, many people lack the funds to purchase train or bus tickets on the open market.

Since our visit to Zaporizhzhia in July, the need for evacuations has increased once again. This is due in part to the volatile situation surrounding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and in part to intensified fighting and the Ukrainian government's appeal for residents to leave the region as soon as possible. While the government provides evacuation trains, they are far from sufficient to meet the growing demand.

Additionally, many people avoid train travel altogether due to repeated targeted shelling of railway infrastructure.

In the meantime, diesel prices have reached European levels. During our trip to Bucha in June 2022, we observed that most petrol stations were limiting diesel and gasoline purchases to 20 liters per vehicle. Long queues formed at the few stations that were still operating. This situation has since improved, and fuel is now largely available again. However, we continue to rely on financial donations to cover the operation and maintenance of the buses.

COORDINATION AND PARTNERS

Partner organizations

• Overall Coordination (and focal point Germany):  Gigahertz Ventures GmbH, Bozener Weg 20, 01069 Dresden, www.gigahertz.ventures
• Coordination Ukraine: CFSR Ukraine Charity Foundation Source of Revival www.cfsrua.com
• Implementation partner Ukraine: ICC International Chamber of Commerce Ukraine https://iccua.org
• Coordination of donations (Germany):  Libereco Partnership for Human Rights e.V. Germany  https://www.lphr.org/
• Green corridor and logistics support in Ukraine:  UkrTrans as a sub-division of the Minstry of Infrastructure of Ukraine http://mtu.gov.ua/ (URL possibly offline)
• Support for care and accommodation: IOM – International Organization for Migration of the UN (https://www.iom.int/) as well as national and local authorities in Ukraine.
  
• Administrative support in Germany: Eduviso GmbH, Semperstr. 3a, 01069 Dresden, www.eduviso.de

• The project was supported by other partners in the areas of logistics, bus purchase and bus operations/maintenance, as well as by many dedicated individuals and organizations. Here you will find a list of further supporters of the project.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

• Between early March and the end of December 2022, "Bus-loads of Hope" provided buses, diesel fuel, and maintenance for the evacuation of refugees from Ukraine’s most heavily contested war zones.

• Evacuations took place throughout 2022 from various regions, depending on the evolving situation. These regions included, in particular: Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mariupol, and Zaporizhzhia.

• The project passed its first stress test on March 10, 2022, successfully handing over the first two buses on Ukrainian territory. Evacuations began.

• By the end of 2022,  "Bus-Loads of Hope" had successfully evacuated over  4,500 people (conservative estimates) from conflict zones and transported numerous tons of humanitarian aid en route to these areas.

• A total of 9 buses were delivered to Ukraine by Gigahertz Ventures. In addition to the buses and their transfer from Germany to Ukraine, tens of thousands of euros were donated for diesel and maintenance, and countless tons of humanitarian aid were transported.

• The buses were used exclusively within Ukraine. All buses are used strictly for humanitarian purposes.

• Both passenger transport and the delivery of aid were provided free of charge.

• Only individuals who lack the financial means to pay for travel (often costly, especially during the first months of the Russian invasion) within Ukraine were eligible for evacuation.

• Buses offer two major advantages over other road-based transport options: they are significantly more fuel-efficient per person, and they can operate effectively in both directions — transporting people as well as humanitarian supplies.

• Since then, our Ukrainian partner organization CFSR has established an excellent and well-functioning structure around the buses, ensuring that they can continue to be used for social purposes in the Kharkiv region — and, if necessary, for evacuations as well.

• The most recent evacuation known to us took place in June 2024, in response to massive Russian attacks on the eastern parts of Kharkiv Oblast.

• In September 2024, one of the buses operated by CFSR and Gigahertz Ventures was officially handed over to the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv, in the presence of Stefan from Gigahertz Ventures. Kupiansk lies on the frontline in Kharkiv Oblast and has been fiercely contested for many months — and now, for years.

• Update January 1, 2023: Donations for the project were (temporarily) suspended as of December 31, 2022. Remaining funds will be used for evacuations in the first months of 2023. The background is that the acute need for evacuations in Ukraine is currently no longer present or is now being well covered by Ukrainian structures and international aid organizations. If necessary, the structures of Bus-loads of Hope can be reactivated quickly at any time.

• The project was initiated and launched in late February 2022 by Dresden-based Gigahertz Ventures GmbH and had since been organized in collaboration with partners CFSR Ukraine, ICC International Chamber of Commerce Ukraine, and supported by Libereco e.V., Cologne (as well as by manydedicated individuals and organizations).

• Our partners at CFSR/ICC Ukraine worked closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations, as well as with local, regional, and national authorities in Ukraine. This ensured a fully coordinated evacuation process and the continued care and accommodation of evacuees.

• Update January 1, 2023: Donations for the project were (temporarily) suspended as of December 31, 2022. Remaining funds will be used for evacuations in the first months of 2023. The background is that the acute need for evacuations in Ukraine is currently no longer present or is now being well covered by Ukrainian structures and international aid organizations. If necessary, the structures of Bus-loads of Hope can be reactivated quickly at any time.

• Please do also see our busblog.

Why do we do this?

As business angels (👉 www.gigahertz.ventures) focused on technology-driven startups, we maintain close ties with Eastern European countries. Our partner and managing director, Stefan Schandera, has lived in Eastern Europe and Central Asia for many years, primarily working for international organizations such as the UN and the World Bank in development cooperation. He has known Ukraine very well for over 20 years and has established strong networks in the region. His son was born in Kyiv.

In this phase of the war, we want to leverage our network and resources to provide fast, straightforward, and effective support. Beyond that, we want to demonstrate what is possible through civil courage—and inspire others to do the same. Talk is cheap - let's DO it!

Of course, neither our project partners and supporters (including our drivers) nor we receive any compensation.

Questions?

You can reach us almost 24/7 at: contact.us@gigahertz.ventures

Thank you very much for your support!

Gigahertz Ventures

Gigahertz Ventures GmbH

Bozener Weg 20
01217 Dresden / Germany
CEO: Roger Dorsch, Stefan Schandera

Commercial Register District Court of Dresden: HRB 40385

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