- Dubois destroys Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Guardiola says critics want Man City wiped 'from face of the Earth'
- Biden says 'Quad' is 'here to stay' despite challenges
- Dubois knocks out Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Vinicius helps 'faster' Madrid overturn stubborn Espanyol
- Zelensky to press US on long-range missile strikes inside Russia
- PSG drop first points in draw at Reims
- Vinicius, Mbappe on target as Madrid crush plucky Espanyol
- Jeeno leads Ko by two at LPGA Queen City Championship
- Bottega Veneta goes for 'E.T.' chic as Madonna pops into D&G
- Messi, Miami frustrated by New York late leveler
- Musk's X platform takes first step toward lifting Brazil ban
- 'Business as usual' for Australia match-winner Carey amid boos
- Israeli jets pound Lebanon after deadly Beirut strike
- Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd's lack of killer instinct in Palace stalemate
- France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right
- Cheika proud of Leicester grit after winning start as boss
- Profligate Man Utd pay price in 0-0 draw at Palace
- Kane, Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Man Utd held at Palace
- LIV champion Rahm out of LIV Team semis with severe flu
- Slot surprised by tearful Nunez's moment of magic
- Title rivals Norris, Verstappen on 'cool' front row for Singapore GP
- Biden talks China with 'Quad' leaders in hometown summit
- Juve and Napoli play out goalless draw in early Serie A title tussle
- Alcaraz fears tennis tour grind will 'kill us'
- Carey sparks recovery as Australia thrash England in 2nd ODI
- Leclerc, Sainz lament 'disappointing' Saturday in Singapore
- Bottega Veneta holds investors' aces as Madonna pops into D&G
- Beirut digs for victims at building flattened in Israeli strike
- Verstappen stages protest over 'ridiculous' swearing punishment
- Bayern boss Kompany lauds 'special talent' Olise
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Spurs bounce back
- Heavy fire over Israel-Lebanon border after deadly Beirut strike
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win despite Hogg scuffle
- Myanmar flood death toll jumps to 384
- Chelsea owners 'happy' with win at West Ham amid rift report
- Kane and Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win
- Norris pips Verstappen to dramatic Singapore pole after Sainz crash
- Carey takes Australia to 270 in 2nd ODI against England after collapse
- Two Hezbollah leaders killed in Israel's Beirut strike
- Hungary Danube waters reach decade high after Storm Boris
- Bagnaia cuts Martin's MotoGP lead with Emilia-Romagna sprint win
- Jackson double fires Chelsea to victory at woeful West Ham
- Fiji beat Japan to lift Pacific Nations Cup
- Kasatkina to face Haddad Maia in Korea Open final
- S.Africa snowfall closes roads, strands motorists overnight
- Lawyers of women alleging Al-Fayed sex abuse receive over 150 new enquiries
- President Museveni's son backs Ugandan strongman for 7th term
Web of support for Ukrainian refugees in Romania
Eyes glued to her two screens, Romanian Olivia Vereha works tirelessly to make sure an essential website for Ukrainian refugees runs smoothly.
Vereha, 34, is a co-founder of non-profit organisation Code4Romania that launched a platform called "dopomoha", the Ukrainian word for "help".
"The pressure is enormous, because things can change from one hour to another," especially when the flow of refugees increases suddenly, said Vereha, who is also chief operations officer.
Just 48 hours after Russia's invasion in February, the Romanian IT experts set up the website with a wealth of contacts and information aimed at helping those fleeing Ukraine to neighbouring Romania.
To date, nearly one million people have used dopomoha.ro, making it an indispensable tool for Ukrainians who suddenly find themselves in a country where they don't know the language, places or laws.
The website provides answers in four languages -- Ukrainian, Russian, English and Romanian.
More than 700,000 Ukrainians have entered Romania so far, of whom around 80,000 have remained. In total, more than 4.7 million have fled Ukraine since the invasion began, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
- Verified information -
Co-founder Bodgan Ivanel said Code4Romania's 15 employees and some 500 volunteers from across the world, who work with the group, laboured "tirelessly" for two days to set up dopomoha.ro.
"Everybody these days should learn this word" dopomoha, the 34-year-old told AFP from the headquarters in Bucharest.
Partnering with the UNHCR and the Romanian government, the site also has information on the risks of human trafficking with women and children making up the overwhelming majority of refugees.
"99.99 percent of people who want to help are doing so in good faith. But when you get into the car of a stranger, it is important to be able to recognise the signs indicating that you are dealing with a possible trafficker," UNHCR Bucharest spokeswoman, Gabriela Leu, told AFP.
Leu said she welcomed the platform's "reliability". Code4Romania also works with the authorities to keep track of those transporting or accommodating refugees.
Victoria Molodih, a 45-year-old volunteer at Bucharest's main train station welcoming refugees, said she has used the platform to help Ukrainian families find accommodation and navigate paperwork.
"We have posters with it all over the station," she said.
- Digitise Romania -
In its six years of operation, Code4Romania has a solid track record, working with the government to register voters and transmit election results in 2016 and to inform the public during the coronavirus pandemic.
The NGO aims to solve social problems with the help of technology in Romania where, despite being named Eastern Europe's Silicon Valley, digital services lag behind.
On the eve of the Russian invasion, the team was preparing to launch a case management system for organisations working with victims of domestic violence, a scourge that rages under the authorities' indifferent gaze.
The project has been put on hold -- alongside another intended to allow better civil society coordination -- for the team to focus on dopomoha.ro.
Code4Romania is one of a number of initiatives launched in recent years to try to fix problems they say the state fails to address, with some NGOs even building critical infrastructure like roads and hospitals themselves.
Ivanel, who had lived abroad for 11 years, was in the Netherlands with three friends when he decided it was time to try to find "digital solutions" to create "a better, more functional Romania".
The turning point for him was a devastating 2015 Bucharest nightclub fire that killed 64 people and injured hundreds, triggering massive street protests against Romania's lax enforcement of safety standards.
While Code4Romania has set itself the task of "digitising Romania because of the state's inability to carry out this operation," Ivanel remained hopeful about the younger generation, who work alongside him.
H.Seidel--BTB