The initiative aims to activate procurement spend as a means to support Ukrainian suppliers in rebuilding their businesses. Beyond sourcing for quality goods and services, 麻豆原创 has a focus on integrating ESG (environmental, social, and governance) principles into decision-making as is standard with its procurement policy.

It highlights 麻豆原创’s commitment not only to sourcing products from Ukraine, but also to promoting social change.

Built-In Sustainability 

In implementing the initiative to attract more suppliers from Ukraine, 麻豆原创 initially focused on the IT sector and conducted a rigorous selection process. So far, suppliers, including industry leaders like Softserve, Unicsoft, and Luxoft, have been selected. 麻豆原创’s commitment extends beyond services to include product areas, where notable Ukrainian companies producing innovative environmentally sustainable products have been discovered.

At 麻豆原创 Spend Connect Live in Vienna, Austria, held in October 2023, Ukrainian manufacturers Rekava, Mol鈥檉ar Tea, and Releaf Paper showcased their sustainable and innovative products. Rekava, for example, specializes in producing biodegradable candles made from recycled coffee grounds, while Mol’far focuses on minimalism and ethical environmental practices in tea production. Releaf Paper is the world’s first manufacturer of paper made from fallen leaves, promoting sustainable products such as paper bags. By supporting these unique Ukrainian companies, 麻豆原创 is not only contributing to the economic reconstruction of the country, but also sustainability efforts.

One of 麻豆原创’s tier one suppliers, ABC Premium, has taken an important step by offering Rekava candles within its purchasing catalog, available to 麻豆原创 employees on the 麻豆原创 Ariba Buying solution.

Strong Alliances for Reconstruction

At the outset of the project, the NGO Impact Ukraine helped 麻豆原创 connect with Ukrainian suppliers. It focuses on microfinance, procurement, and recruitment from Ukraine. The collaboration is facilitated by the voluntary engagement of professionals from the technology, healthcare, and finance sectors. With Impact Ukraine鈥檚 support, 麻豆原创 and other organizations can further advance their goals regarding procurement from Ukraine.

麻豆原创鈥檚 commitment to promoting innovation, sustainability, and economic growth through partnerships with Ukrainian companies not only fulfills its aspirations for procurement with purpose, but also contributes to making the world a better place.

Helping the World Run Better 

The 鈥淪ource from Ukraine鈥� initiative builds on global efforts to integrate social enterprises and diverse suppliers into 麻豆原创 purchasing opportunities. Beyond 麻豆原创鈥檚 own internal purchasing efforts, the 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility (麻豆原创 CSR) team is also investing in social and sustainable procurement ecosystems alongside public, private, and social sector partners like the European Commission, Deloitte, World Economic Forum鈥檚 Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship, and Social Enterprise World Forum鈥檚 People and Planet First verification.

Consider that US$5.3 trillion in annual commerce is transacted on . If we can help create a small shift in procurement spend to organizations prioritizing people and planet like Releaf Paper, we could collectively increase investment in sustainable development in a way that is not possible through corporate philanthropy alone. To join our efforts, please e-mail: csr-global@sap.com.

Elena Parker is chief revenue officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network, MEE, at 麻豆原创.

The tech team at took the company鈥檚 purpose 鈥� building a better working world 鈥� to heart. Supported by , a global initiative to positively impact 1 billion lives by 2030, the team made it their mission to use technology to help solve a problem: to connect countless refugees landing in Poland with the resources they need to survive. The result, the , was live within six urgent weeks.

Responding to a Need

“It was winter, and women and children were standing in long queues for necessities like milk, diapers, and blankets,” Diksha de Sousa, 麻豆原创 Core Tech at EY, recalled. “And we thought a platform can make this simpler. Resources were available 鈥� donations were streaming into NGOs working all over Poland 鈥� but organizations had no centralized database or way to share what they had available and where.鈥� So de Sousa鈥檚 team mobilized.

The development process would not be typical; this need was dire and immediate. It was about saving lives. When they reached out to other EY groups for support, the response, de Sousa said, 鈥渨as overwhelming. I think we had the UX design in three days.鈥� The EY development team worked at a breakneck pace to create the app while coordinating with NGOs on the ground in Poland and working with the marketing teams who would mobilize the app through the power of social media.

Harnessing New Technology to Deliver Impactful Solutions

鈥淲e needed automation, we needed workflow technology, and, last but not least, we needed the stable backend,鈥� so that the NGOs could upload all their data and ensure it would be stored safely, explained Oktavian Wagner, EY鈥檚 head of CT Innovation, Technology, and Architecture. And, since no one on the development team could write in Polish or Ukrainian, they also needed translation capabilities. 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP) was a natural fit, not only because EY was already running close to a thousand 麻豆原创 instances but also because, as Wagner explained, 鈥渨e share the same vision: using technology to create a better world.鈥�

With 麻豆原创 Build solutions, a low-code app development and automation portfolio, and with the support of 麻豆原创 Business Accelerator Hub, the EY team brought the new EY ERA from ideation to execution in record time. While the technology was crucial, Axel Janz, global head of 麻豆原创 Products and Innovations at EY, said having live, personal support from 麻豆原创 was invaluable. 鈥淎t the end of the day, the people make the difference,鈥� Janz said.

Also crucial to EY鈥檚 whirlwind development process was a laser focus on user experience. 鈥淵ou want to make sure that the application is stable, that it’s fast, that it’s scalable, that it’s safe, but also that it’s easy to use 鈥� concentrating on what we call the workflow of the end user,鈥� Wagner said. The end user in this case was refugees. 鈥淭hey don’t want to see a commercial. They don’t want to see what else we’re doing at EY. They don’t even want to see and touch the technology. They just want to use it.鈥�

A Targeted Tool with Global Potential

EY ERA has 162 registered humanitarian aid distribution centers in 53 cities in Poland and more than 15,000 users, refugees who can find the necessities they need to care for their families. The app鈥檚 impact is already reaching beyond the borders of Poland and the ongoing crisis for Ukrainian refugees. EY ERA has also been deployed in response to Australian wildfires and is ready to adapt to other natural disasters or humanitarian crises. Whatever the future brings, EY is committed to deploying new technology to serve people in need and to build a better working world for all of us.

Interested in more stories that feature organizations creating innovative solutions to make a positive impact? Check out:

• : Swiss independent organization Essen f眉r Alle (Food for All) is better supporting its commitment to address food insecurity and hunger with a scalable and efficient solution in the cloud from 麻豆原创.
• : EY created a digital platform for financial aid applications with 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform.

For the full episode and the on-demand Better Together: Customer Conversations series, visit .

Timo Elliott is VP and global innovation evangelist at 麻豆原创.

Did you know that in 2022 of the overall workforce of large tech companies, and within that only 25% of women held technical roles? Empowering women with education and employment opportunities can help bridge this gap and often is the catalyst for dreams and aspirations to take shape. 麻豆原创 is committed to promoting equitable access to education and employment, fostering future skills development, and driving innovation for a better future.

One of our 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility partnerships that we are incredibly proud of is our partnership with , the first nonprofit, tuition-free, American, accredited, online university dedicated to global access to higher education. Established in 2009, it provides virtual learning for over 126,000 students worldwide, with over 16,000 refugees as part of its student population. It serves students believing that higher education is a fundamental right for all.

Last year, in honor of 麻豆原创鈥檚 50^th anniversary, 麻豆原创 funded 100 scholarships, with 50 associate鈥檚 degrees and 50 bachelor鈥檚 degrees in computer science or business administration, for refugees and displaced youth aged 18 to 30 worldwide. 麻豆原创 CSR also partnered with the 麻豆原创 Learning organization to support specifically for Ukrainian refugees and aligned with University of the People and Teach for Afghanistan to fund scholarships for student teachers in Afghanistan seeking their master’s of education degrees. Beyond scholarships, 麻豆原创 established a pilot, one-on-one, virtual mentorship program, where 麻豆原创 employees provide career mentorship for students seeking advice and guidance.

Each scholarship funded by 麻豆原创 supports a refugee student on their education journey with University of the People. To honor Women鈥檚 History Month, we wanted to highlight a few stories of some inspiring refugee women from University of the People who show that education is the tool they used for a hopeful tomorrow.

Let’s start with Kateryna Glubochenko, who proves that education can transform lives, even in the toughest of circumstances.

Kateryna is a University of the People student from Ukraine who recently graduated with her master鈥檚 in education.

In the weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kateryna wrote this message: 鈥淚 am paralyzed with fear. This is our sixth day in a bomb shelter. Air raids happen every hour. Russian troops are only 50 kilometers from my city. I can鈥檛 yet leave my home because I鈥檓 pregnant and have no way to leave the city. Studying is the only way to calm down, and I still believe I will survive all this. Studying at University of the People is hope for me now.鈥�

Thanks to University of the People鈥檚 entirely virtual online experience providing students access to education from anywhere in the world, Kateryna decided to continue her studies despite the ongoing warfare in her hometown. Luckily, Kateryna could travel to Moldova with her 10-year-old son a few weeks later but had to leave the rest of her family behind. Her husband joined the fight against Russia and her parents were too elderly to make the long trip on foot. From Moldova, Kateryna and her son took a train to Poland and then traveled to Spain to stay with a distant relative.

A few months after arriving in Spain, Kateryna gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and, shortly afterward, completed her master鈥檚 degree in education. Kateryna鈥檚 strength and commitment to completing her degree in challenging circumstances is incredibly inspiring. After the fighting in her hometown stopped, Kateryna returned to Ukraine with her two sons and reunited with her husband and parents.

In June 2022, in honor of World Refugee Day, Kateryna joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 hosted by Alexandra van der Ploeg, head of 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility. On the panel, Kateryna talked about what she hopes to do with her new degree.

“Before the war, I believed I could be a curriculum reformer, helping Ukraine advance its education system. I wanted to help advance our economics curriculum because I’m an economics teacher,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow, I hope to be part of rebuilding the Ukrainian education system. I believe we can make our educational system more student-oriented and help Ukrainian students flourish. It might take many years to rebuild our educational system, but I want to take part in this process, and my degree will help me become a specialist and help my country.”

In a recent update, Kateryna used her master鈥檚 degree to help her get a job working online for a Ukrainian university and is on her way to making her dreams a reality.

Another inspiring University of the People student is Asima, based in Afghanistan. Asima is from Kunduz, a northern Afghan city. In late July 2021, she was displaced to the Afghan capital, Kabul, to seek safety from the conflict between the government and the Taliban. Things took an unexpected turn on August 15, 2021, when the Taliban took over Kabul. Life changed drastically for Asima and her family. Women鈥檚 access to education, which had expanded over the last two decades within the country, ended abruptly.

Throughout these changes, University of the People continued to support Afghans seeking degrees, particularly girls and other marginalized groups. The university has provided around 2,000 scholarships to Afghan women since the Taliban鈥檚 return to power so they could continue their studies safely.

鈥淲hen I heard about the scholarships from the University of the People to Afghan women, I quickly applied. Women must empower themselves through education. We are too strong to be frightened. Therefore, I will continue my education,鈥� Asima said. 鈥淲hen I entered the University of the People learning module for the first time, I was thrilled. I couldn’t express my joy and happiness at that moment. University of the People is a fantastic university where I’m in touch with people from different parts of the world for the same purpose of educating. That is where I feel near to my dreams. Thanks to the University of the People, that has become a light on the darkest day of my life!鈥�

As Women鈥檚 History Month ends, we proudly tell stories of women at the University of the People who are using their education to build hopeful futures. We look forward to bringing stories of inspiration and empowerment and powering equitable access to education and employment for students everywhere. To learn more about corporate social responsibility at 麻豆原创 and our partnership with University of the People, .

Julia Donovan is a corporate social responsibility specialist at 麻豆原创.

But one year ago, things were very different. Only six years old, Ksusha, her mother Nadiia, and older sister Yaroslava were displaced and living as refugees in Poland after fleeing their home in , Ukraine, to escape the escalating war. Now safe as a result of the UK government鈥檚 visa sponsorship program, their lives have begun to stabilize with new friendships, language lessons, and cultural support as they integrate into British daily life.

Gilly Smith, the woman who compassionately opened her home for Nadiia and her daughters, says she is grateful to have the space available to be able to host the family, who in turn have added a new dimension to her life. 鈥淚t鈥檚 lovely when the girls come home,鈥� says Smith, who works for 麻豆原创 as a partner delivery manager for solutions from . 鈥淭hey see immediately if I鈥檝e got my headset on as to whether or not they can be noisy or come in and give me a big hug and tell me about their day.鈥�

鈥淚 had a really quiet life before,鈥� says Smith, thinking back to when it was just her, her husband, and the two dogs at home. 鈥淣ow there鈥檚 a lot of activity.鈥� She pauses to lean in, tilts her head, and shares a gem of insight gleaned from her experience: 鈥淚n the same way that working within a team you need diversity and different ideas, it鈥檚 the same in a home life. It鈥檚 great having different ages in the same house. It鈥檚 energizing.鈥�

鈥淲e Need to Do This鈥�

In her 麻豆原创 role, Smith works with 麻豆原创 partners in many countries to deliver success to customers. In her global team, where she is the regional lead for Europe, colleagues work from locations as varied as Australia, Ireland, and Fair Isle in Shetland. She values the open, direct communication that she has with 麻豆原创 partners, which she says makes her work very enriching. 鈥淭his is the best job at 麻豆原创. It鈥檚 a fabulous job because I鈥檓 working with partners.鈥�

Born in New Zealand, Smith says her intercultural experiences have mostly centered on Western Europe. So, it was a feeling of profound empathy that prompted her to help displaced families from Ukraine. 鈥淲hat motivated me was hearing on the news about this, particularly women and children fleeing, and I just thought if I had a daughter, I would want somebody to look after them, to at least house them and make sure they had food.鈥�

Her husband felt the same. During the pandemic, the couple had made the decision to move to the countryside in preparation for eventual retirement. A tax incentive from the government sweetened the deal and they felt very fortunate to find a spacious, bright house in rural Somerset 鈥� which they now wanted to share with a displaced family. 鈥淭here was really no discussion about it. We just looked at each other and said, 鈥榃e need to do this. We鈥檝e got the space.鈥欌��

Bureaucracy and Hugs

The initial step to enroll as a sponsor in Homes for Ukraine was as easy as ticking a box. But Smith and her husband almost abandoned the process many times due to cumbersome bureaucratic forms with no support. For example, Smith had to find someone from Ukraine to sponsor, which meant combing endless social media profiles for a faint connection. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e reading these absolutely tragic stories. It was really depressing,鈥� recalls Smith. She finally found a young woman named Nadiia with two daughters, ages five and eleven, who wanted to be near Yeovil, a town near Smith. 鈥淚 think I鈥檝e found somebody,鈥� Smith told her husband.

However, government forms that required documents in Ukrainian nearly jeopardized the match. 鈥淚t was just the most terrible form I鈥檝e ever tried to fill in. It was so stressful, I burst into tears.鈥� On March 27, 2022, they submitted the required information.

And then they waited鈥nd waited. There were no updates from the authorities for three months. She and her husband began to lose hope of bringing Nadiia and her daughters to the UK. 鈥淚n early June, we were saying, 鈥業t鈥檚 not happening. She鈥檚 not going to come,鈥� because this process was just so painful.鈥�

When the UK government finally issued their visas, the family hastily boarded a cheap flight to the UK, arriving on June 9.

Smith recalls the joy of greeting the family in person when they arrived at her home. 鈥淭he eldest girl ran out and just came and gave me a great big bear hug, which was lovely. The little girl was hiding behind her mother. She was very shy.鈥� Muffin and Biscuit came to the rescue with love and affection. 鈥淭he little girls absolutely adore the dogs. We were like, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檝e got a family.鈥欌��

Ballet, Birthdays, and Rainbows

Smith enrolled the girls in local schools and helped them with school uniforms. 鈥淭he little one, I especially felt sorry for her because she didn鈥檛 know anybody and initially had no English. She just stood in the middle of the playground and would say, 鈥楬ello, I鈥檓 Ksusha.鈥欌�� To help her integrate with local children, Smith helped Nadiia enroll Ksusha in ballet class and Rainbows, part of . 鈥淣ow she comes home and I ask, 鈥楬ow was your day at school?鈥� And she says, 鈥業t was very good, thank you.鈥欌��

As Yaroslava鈥檚 twelfth birthday neared, the adults were unsure how to celebrate. She was making new friends, but the thought of her birthday without her long-time friends from Ukraine made Yaroslava not want to celebrate. Eventually, she was persuaded to invite her new friends and her birthday party was a memorable success.

Building Independence

Aside from the challenges of the application process, Smith is very positive about how the UK government has supported the integration of Ukrainian families into communities and schools. Nadiia is studying English and has made tremendous progress. She re-established contact with a friend from the Ukraine who is now in the UK. A long-time family friend, Oleksii, joined her in December and together they are trying to build a new life with jobs and independent housing.

鈥淚 really want to see them both get jobs because that will enable them in due course to have their own place for their lives,鈥� says Smith, who in her spare time enjoys helping them learn English. 鈥淲e get on very well, but it鈥檚 never quite the same as having your own place.鈥�

One aspect of our support is our technology itself. Since the start of the war, we have provided software support and cloud services worth more than EUR 30 million to Ukrainian customers free of charge. We are extending this fee waiver through the first quarter of 2023 and will also provide about 1,000 software licenses free of charge to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. In order to ensure essential supplies could reach Ukraine when the war began, we also provided open access to , which matches business buyers with qualified suppliers from around the world. We will extend this access into 2023. On the 麻豆原创 Business Network, we added a 鈥淪upport Ukraine鈥� button that lets suppliers easily declare their readiness to provide aid and makes it simple for buyers to quickly find sources of supplies. To date, more than 10,000 suppliers have declared their readiness to help and more than 75% of posts requesting aid have received responses.

We鈥檝e also partnered with organizations on the ground. We鈥檝e donated our market-leading cloud-based procurement solutions to Enkidu Global, an NGO that has teamed up with State Enterprise 鈥淢edical Procurement of Ukraine鈥� (SE MPU) to ensure fast and efficient procurement of medical supplies for millions of Ukrainians in need. Enkidu used our solutions, including 麻豆原创 Business Network, to create a centralized platform enabling SE MPU to quickly find suppliers to deliver urgently needed essential goods.

Donations, including those from employees, have been an important aspect of our response. In total, 麻豆原创 has donated more than EUR 4.2m to support Ukraine, in cooperation with organizations including UNICEF, UNHCR and the German Red Cross.

麻豆原创 is equally committed to Ukraine鈥檚 economic recovery. In close partnership with the Ukrainian government, we have supported initiatives intended to develop the country鈥檚 technology industry. We鈥檙e working as a partner with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine to make rapid recovery and development possible through innovation and digitalization.

As we look ahead to a new year, our hearts and hopes remain with the people of Ukraine and our commitment remains steadfast. 听

鈥淭here is no end to the hardship and suffering of the people on the ground, where the confrontations with violence, loss, and destruction increase daily. The displacement of the civilian population has reached unprecedented proportions and the need for humanitarian aid is becoming more urgent and greater,鈥� the GRC writes on its . The relief organization estimates that 13听million people are stranded in areas directly affected by the fighting. They lack food, drinking water, and medical care.

Attacks on healthcare facilities, personnel, and infrastructure have only exacerbated the situation, undermining relief efforts and depriving people of urgently needed care. According to the , 300 attacks on healthcare resources were reported between February 24 and June 15. It is also estimated that more than 10,000 civilians have been injured since the war began.

Ukrainian health authorities and many local and international relief organizations are doing everything they can to ensure that those affected continue to receive medical assistance. The biggest challenge is having medicine and medical supplies available where it鈥檚 needed.

Connecting Suppliers and Buyers

Mathias Fritzsche, who, together with Martin Fassunge, heads the Software Donations working group in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Ukraine Task Force, says: 鈥溌槎乖� wants to support Ukraine with software solutions. War means chaos and destruction, and with it the shattering of supply chains. Our 麻豆原创听Ariba Procurement solutions can help rebuild those supply chains.鈥�

As part of this initiative, 麻豆原创 is making its 麻豆原创听Ariba Discovery solution (now 麻豆原创 Business Network Discovery) available to companies and organizations free of charge until the end of 2022. The solution can help buyers connect with millions of companies in 190 countries across the globe via 麻豆原创 Business Network. 鈥淚t works in the same way as a dating platform: suppliers and buyers can log on to 麻豆原创鈥檚 huge business network to find suitable matches,鈥� Fritzsche explains. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 more, we鈥檝e added a new toggle button called 鈥淪upport Ukraine,鈥� which aid agencies can use to search specifically for urgently required goods.鈥�

In the first 15 hours after it went live, more than 300 suppliers offered their help via the solution. This number has since increased to more than 4,600. To date, these suppliers have delivered over 鈧�130听million worth of humanitarian goods, including 300,000 first aid kits, torniquets to stop heavy bleeding, and more.

Ordering System for the Ukrainian Ministry of Health

The start of the war spelled the end of 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥� for the State Enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine (MPU), the only national agency that ensures centralized procurement of quality medicines and medical devices for the state funds, too. With many of its national suppliers no longer available, the MPU was forced to find a new approach, as tenders can no longer take place the way they used to or are not fast enough in cases where urgent help is required.

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The not-for-profit aid organization contacted 麻豆原创 in March, seeking IT support for federal procurement authorities, and brought the partners together. Founded by Ukrainian volunteers in Switzerland, Enkidu supports the procurement and supply of medicine to war-torn Ukraine as well as facilitates the donations process for global institutional donors through its platform. In addition to using the 麻豆原创听Ariba Discovery solution to post its sourcing needs, the MPU also needed a catalog solution to search for and compare specific medical supplies.

Fritzsche made some inquiries: 鈥淥n a Friday evening, we asked colleagues for help, and they did not let us down. Around five consultants sprang into action right away. In less than three weeks, we were able to implement and install a catalog solution for the MPU based on the guided buying capability. It鈥檚 similar to the cloud-based 麻豆原创 Ariba solution that 麻豆原创 employees use when they order a new notebook or cellphone, for example.鈥�

For the MPU, 麻豆原创 experts uploaded the corresponding catalogs from suppliers of medical products, set up authorizations for users, and tailored the solution to the ministry鈥檚 needs. The built-in invoicing process, for example, is an important feature, enabling benevolent suppliers to deduct donations from their taxes.

鈥淚 am particularly pleased about our collaboration with Enkidu because it makes it easier for us to help the Ukrainian people swiftly and efficiently. The network approach also provides greater opportunities to speed the rebuilding of Ukraine,鈥� Fassunge adds.

The first order transacted via the ordering platform was for 400 vacuum-assisted closure machines and 10,000 disposable negative pressure therapy kits, valued at over US$1 million. Negative pressure therapy provides better healing of wounds, requires fewer dressing changes, and minimizes the risk of infection. The order was funded by the Ukrainian Embassy in London. In the first two weeks of using the solution, the MPU triggered several orders totaling more than 鈧�2.5 million, no doubt saving countless lives.