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In July, the decision on which open‑source and non‑profit projects receive support as part of #SidnetDonations is made by our talented Full Stack Developer—Łukasz Leszczyński. He began his journey by implementing help desk and service desk systems under our Centuran brand and has spent the past few years developing software for our long‑time partner, THG.

The organizations Łukasz selected may operate in different spheres, but they share a common mission: protecting those who cannot protect themselves. The Mozilla Foundation advocates for privacy and freedom on the internet—now with a strong focus on developing ethical and responsible artificial intelligence. At the same time, the Animal Shelter for Homeless Animals in Wroclaw offers safety, medical care, and a chance for a better life to abandoned and vulnerable animals.

The Mozilla Foundation

The Mozilla Foundation has long been dedicated to building an internet that is not only safe but also accessible to all. Its core principles—privacy, inclusivity, and the decentralization of the web—guide its mission. Today, Mozilla places particular emphasis on developing what it calls “trustworthy AI”: artificial intelligence designed to enhance human lives rather than harm them. Beyond proposing concrete frameworks for ethical AI, the foundation also plays an active role in public education—for example, through its IRL podcast, which delves into how technology shapes our daily lives and digital rights. In an era where the internet is increasingly dominated by corporate interests and algorithmic manipulation, Mozilla’s efforts represent a meaningful attempt to put people back at the heart of the digital world.

“I appreciate Mozilla for its consistent work toward an open and safe internet. It’s one of the few organizations that manage to combine technological advancement with privacy protection—as with the Firefox browser—and remain independent from commercial interests,” explains Łukasz.

Animal Shelter for Homeless Animals in Wroclaw

Few things touch the heart quite like the plight of homeless animals. The Wroclaw shelter is passionately dedicated to helping these “street pets” by providing urgent medical care, responding to emergency calls around the clock, and actively promoting adoptions within the local community. These vital efforts come with considerable costs, making every donation truly meaningful and impactful.

“The Animal Shelter for Homeless Animals in Wroclaw cares daily for hundreds of abandoned and vulnerable animals. Their dedication, professionalism, and determination deserve our support—both through donations and by raising awareness about responsible pet adoption and care,” says Łukasz.

Every bit of support counts—including yours. The shelter faces many urgent needs, but one easy and meaningful way to help is by virtually adopting a pet—a simple way to make a difference that’s available no matter where you live.

For Olga, technology is far more than just a tool. As a Product Owner and IT Project Manager, she brings a tireless passion for uncovering the human dimension behind every project. She seamlessly connects the world of digital products with empathy, attentiveness, and a deep understanding of user needs.

That same mindset naturally carries over into the June edition of our #SidnetDonations initiative. Olga chose to support open‑source and non‑profit initiatives that empower communities, amplify unheard voices, and prove that technology can be both effective and compassionate, working in service of people and their rights.

Ushahidi

An open-source platform that has been helping communities turn information into action since 2008. Created in response to post‑election violence in Kenya, its name—“ushahidi”—means “testimony” in Swahili. From the very beginning, its mission has been to give a voice to those who are too often ignored.

As a crowdsourcing and mapping tool, Ushahidi supports people facing democratic crises, humanitarian emergencies, and human rights violations—from increasing voter turnout in Nigeria to coordinating COVID‑19 relief in Spain (and later in 22 other countries) to documenting protests in Iran.

“Those most affected by violence, humanitarian disasters, or systemic injustice—where fundamental rights are trampled and democracy is under threat—are often the least heard. With Ushahidi, a smartphone is all it takes to send a life‑saving alert or unite a community around a common goal,” Olga explains.

To date, Ushahidi has been deployed over 200,000 times, reaching more than 25  million people worldwide. And not every map is crisis‑driven—some have been created by cycling enthusiasts or tech communities as well.

Amnesty International Polska

The Polish branch of the global non‑profit organization that drives research, advocacy, and education to bring about tangible human rights change—freeing individuals imprisoned for their beliefs and pushing to reform unjust laws. This year marks 35 years of Amnesty International Poland’s impactful work.

Their ongoing initiatives include:

• Write for Rights – the world’s largest human rights campaign (launched in Poland!), where people send messages of solidarity to those whose rights are violated, along with appeals to authorities on their behalf.
  
• Amnesty International Poland Award – honoring documentaries at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival that raise awareness about universal human rights.
  
• Pióro Nadziei (Pen of Hope) award – awarded for outstanding media contributions promoting human rights.

“Justice is a core value for me—that’s why I regularly sign Amnesty’s petitions, listen to their human rights podcasts, and recently joined the 13,000‑strong community of members of Amnesty International Poland. I was delighted to discover a 35% discount on books from my favorite publisher, Karakter—just one of many small but meaningful benefits of membership. I also connect with Amnesty through the MDAG festival—a long‑time favorite of mine, where the organization has been a partner. And their tech‑focused efforts strike a particular chord with me—Amnesty Tech explores surveillance‑driven business models and the algorithms behind systemic discrimination,” says Olga.

You can become a member of Amnesty International in your country—the membership fee varies depending on where you live, but the amounts are generally modest. Meaningful change often begins with small, intentional steps like this.

May is buzzing—both in the apiary and in Michał “Staszek” Staszewski’s busy calendar, which is as packed as a honeycomb. As our Sales Manager, Staszek oversees commercial activities across all our brands: Sidnet, Centuran (help desk systems based on OTRS), and theStore.studio (consumer behavior research in a 3D store simulator).

Despite a tight schedule, Staszek found the time to choose two open‑source and non‑profit initiatives for our #SidnetDonations program. And his picks won’t surprise anyone.

Redmine

Redmine is a free, open‑source web application for project management and issue tracking, built with the Ruby on Rails framework. It supports multiple concurrent projects, project wikis, advanced file and permission management, time tracking, and a notification system. Redmine also integrates with popular version control systems, and is available in 49 languages. At Sidnet, every team member uses Redmine—enhanced with the RedmineUP plugin—in their daily work.

“I use Redmine every day to monitor project progress and stay on top of deadlines. Supporting its development is crucial to me because it helps our distributed team collaborate, stay organized, and continuously improve how we work,” says Staszek.

Ratujmy Pszczoły (“Save the Bees”) Foundation

Bees are vital to both ecosystems and humanity. They pollinate the plants that feed us and maintain biodiversity. Without bees, many fruits, vegetables, and crops would disappear—and with them, the balance of entire ecosystems.

The “Save the Bees” Foundation is committed to protecting these essential pollinators. Their work includes planting nectar‑rich flowers, supporting beekeepers, promoting Polish bee products like honey and propolis, and educating the public about the importance of bees. They also organize training sessions to help beekeepers expand their skills.

“This foundation is especially close to my heart because I’m a beekeeper myself, and I understand the critical role bees play in nature. This year, we faced a late winter and a drawn‑out early spring—both tough for bees. On top of that, some farmers still apply pesticides during flight hours, despite regulations. Supporting the Foundation is one way to protect bees and preserve biodiversity,” says Staszek.

Recruiting specialists in niche or less popular technologies can be a real challenge—so much so that sometimes, the talent pool in Poland or even Europe isn’t enough. This was the case when we were looking for an experienced Perl Developer. Our search led us to Robin, who works remotely from Canada on a project for our long‑term partner. At THG, he develops the backend of an application for purchasing and managing hosting services.

Find out which open‑source and charity projects will receive financial support this month thanks to Robin’s thoughtful choices.

MetaCPAN

The Perl programming language relies on the MetaCPAN project—a vast open-source library containing over 220,000 software modules and documentation for 45,500 distributions. This repository is co‑created by over 14,500 contributors, and the ready‑to‑use, proven solutions it contains make developing software in Perl much easier and faster.

“CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network) maintenance is a thankless job that is vital to the survival of Perl as a language. Donated funds support the servers, data storage, third‑party system support, and other critical areas. I’m happy to do my part and help develop this key infrastructure,” says Robin.

Stand with Ukraine Foundation

Waging war is never justified, and those who suffer from it need all the help they can get, whether in the form of humanitarian aid or funds for rebuilding programs. The Stand with Ukraine Foundation is an NGO dedicated to supporting immigrants and war victims, helping them integrate into Polish society and rebuild their lives. It also promotes Ukrainian culture and provides reliable information about the ongoing situation—especially valuable amid disinformation.

“In a world that’s growing darker every day, we need to be a light of hope and stand against war, whether it’s in Ukraine or anywhere else. As I work for a Polish company, it’s even more crucial for me to support Poland’s neighbors,” states Robin.

While the Tor Project and the Rak’n’Roll Foundation work in different areas, they share a common mission—empowering people with freedom. The Tor Browser ensures online anonymity and security, while the Rak’n’Roll Foundation helps people struggling with cancer regain the courage to live life on their own terms. Both initiatives fight for independence—one in the digital world, the other in the face of illness.

These projects will receive our financial support in February, thanks to Gabriel Spytkowski, an Unreal and C++ developer involved in the development of our product, theStore, a virtual shopping simulator designed for consumer research.

Rak’n’Roll Foundation – Fighting cancer with courage

Cancer is not a death sentence—it’s an obstacle that can often be overcome. The Rak’n’Roll Foundation works to break the cancer taboo, challenge stereotypes, and improve the quality of life for cancer patients by restoring their courage and helping them rediscover the beauty of life. Through initiatives like the well-known “Give Hair!” campaign, the foundation has gained widespread media attention and used bold advertising campaigns to bring the conversation about cancer into the public eye, changing how society views the disease.

Tor Project – True privacy online

For 19 years, the Tor Project has been protecting anonymity and privacy online, developing free, open-source solutions that keep users safe. They created the Tor Browser, which shields against online surveillance and enables access to otherwise restricted content. At the heart of the Tor Project is true freedom of speech online—even in countries where it is limited.

“This project is important to me because freedom of speech and privacy are fundamental rights that the Tor Project defends,” says Gabriel, explaining his choice.

In a month, we’ll be unveiling the next edition of our #SidnetDonations initiative, featuring new projects that will benefit from our support. Stay tuned!

A new year brings a new edition of the #SidnetDonations initiative! Check out which open-source project and non-profit organization will receive our support, as chosen by Gosia Łaszczych, our Office Manager.

The Office in Good Hands

The smooth operational functioning of Sidnet is largely supported by Gosia Łaszczych, who has been serving as Office Manager for over two years. Gosia is committed to managing administration, recruitment, employee-related matters, and organizing notable company events.

Sidnet Joins Forces with WOŚP

Supporting The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) is a long-standing tradition for Gosia. She regularly donates through bank transfers and by contributing to donation boxes during the organization’s annual finale. This year, thanks to Gosia, WOŚP will receive additional support by becoming the beneficiary of January’s #SidnetDonations initiative.

The 2025 WOŚP finale focuses on ensuring the safety and health of children, with funds going to pediatric oncology and hematology wards.

Would you like to join Gosia and Sidnet in supporting WOŚP? Here’s how you can help:

• Volunteer with the Peace Patrol
• Donate directly to WOŚP’s bank account
• Drop a donation into one of the many collection boxes across Poland

Thunderbird – An Office Manager’s Essential Tool

Gosia’s laptop is one of Sidnet’s command centers, and email is her most critical tool. It’s no wonder that this month’s #SidnetDonations support went to Thunderbird, a free and open-source email client developed by Mozilla Foundation.

Thunderbird is a must-have for office management, making it easy to organize emails and prioritize issues. Thanks to Gosia and Thunderbird, Sidnet’s operations stay seamless and chaos-free.

We’ve kickstarted another year of supporting impactful initiatives. Stay tuned—over the coming months, we’ll unveil more open-source projects and non-profit organizations set to receive our support!