March 15, 2022
What was done: I’m back from another run into Ukraine (Chernivtsi). We went in with 3 cargo vans and a car filled with food, consumables and a lot of medicine. They were successfully dropped off in Chernivtsi, where the church there sorted through them and made smaller packages that were then delivered to families in need. They worked quick too! The packages were delivered within the 7 hours it took us to drive back home. The medical supplies will be delivered directly to a hospital there.
Initially I was riding in a car originally bound for Kyiv but plans changed on a whim and after many phone calls we decided to take it into Chernivtsi with the other vans.
When we left Alba for Ukraine, we were connected with a Ukrainian woman that divorced and is living in Greece for over 20 years. She had made the trip into Romania and was looking to get into Ukraine to get her children that live with their father. She spoke very broken English but we managed to get ideas across (our car had a mix of English, Ukranian and Romanian speakers…talk about broken telephone). She expressed her deep gratitude and amazement at how we were able to mobilize and make these trips in and out of Ukraine. Many people we’ve met along the way have similarly said they’ve felt a great love these past few weeks and have a desire to join the Ukrainian efforts.
On our way from Alba towards Ukraine, we stopped by a campsite (cabins) now converted into a refugee camp to pick up our English-Ukrainian translator, Helen. There we joined the Ukranians for a short church session prior to eating with them and heading off. All the women were helping with cooking, serving, cleaning and child care with great initiative and not a drop of complaint- from the 15 year-olds to the 50. They are Such hardworking people. It was really difficult hearing the horror stories of what their husbands and family members are enduring but I’m extremely grateful the women and children seem to be doing ok where they are now (Picture of dinner with them below). It’s evident that hard times really pulls people together and shows how resilient humanity CAN be. I’ve spoken with the refugee campsite leader and they said the site is currently OK for supplies and food right now but they’re seeking out sponsors/donations to help cover the electric bills there. The rough estimate I was given for the site was around 1500 euro/month.
At about 2 am we stopped at a guest house close to the border (Siret) to get a couple hours of rest before heading out again at 8 am. Bread, butter and salami for breakfast…classic. Border crossing took a good half hour as our translator Helen and one of our organizers filled in a mountain of paperwork because what we had was insufficient. Customs needed to know exactly what was in every vehicle and the weight…the forms were in Ukrainian. We drove into Chernivtsi where we unloaded the vans in a local church for further distribution (mentioned above), dropped the Greek/Ukrainian woman off and went to a Ukrainian refugee centre. At the centre we were welcomed with an incredible lunch prior to loading the vans up with 18 refugee women and children and heading back.
The cargo van from our previous run, the one that broke down, was fixed and picked up from the border by one of our guys. He had picked up a refugee woman and her, we laughed a bit at this, her three dogs. Sadly, they didn’t make it 50km before the van overheated and the engine cracked. They were left on the road, waiting for a flatbed truck from Alba to come pick them and the van up.
Doing this trip I was supposed to make contact with the organization Adra, however due to the ever-changing schedule mentioned, I did not have the time or possibility to link up with them. It’s still a possibility in the future but it seems it didn’t pan out as I’d hoped for. There has been shelling closer and closer to the borders and I am told it is only a matter of time before the border we’ve been crossing at closes down. As of now, the air raid sirens have been going off nightly in Chernivtsi and the people are instructed to get into bunkers. The city has also prepared by building small bunkers on street corners to fight from if/when the time comes. Supplies are increasingly scarce as fewer supply trucks make their way into Ukraine. Not all gas stations have gas anymore and you can only get gas if you are deemed an essential worker. Even then, you must wait in long line ups are only allowed to purchase up to 20L. Side note- Kyiv is running extremely dry on supplies as there are fewer runs up into the war zone and there are over 30 military checkpoints and a lot of crossfire slowing down the runs.
What’s next: I have five more days before I head home. I really wish I could do it all…or do more. This is what keeps me up at night but I know what’s most important is to do anything rather than remaining silent or stagnant. We have another convoy headed for Ukraine on Friday but I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it as it’s cutting it close to my flight schedule. We will be loading up our cargo vans with some supplies that came in from Germany as well as other local donations. I plan on buying as many consumables (diapers are very hard to come by in Ukraine) as my budget permits on this run and ensuring I have a plan in place to continue funding the supply runs once I return home. I also want to ensure I can get some funds set up for the campsite electric bills and see what I can do long term there as well.
What we need: The supply runs seem to require bursts of energy and supplies and are more sporadic. Taking care of refugees requires longer term commitment. I plan on setting up two funds: one for supply runs and one for long term refugee care. The refugees we bring back into Alba are staying together in various apartments we find for them but we need to provide them with rent money and some cash while they figure out what on earth to do next. Please spread the word of what is being done here. This is your direct contribution to the war efforts and we should all be proud to come together in doing all this. Please donate whenever/however much you can. These people continue to struggle so anything we can do is a huge blessing and a much-needed relief. And be encouraged! $1 cad is about $3 here so your money has big impact!
More updates to follow soon.
Grace and peace,
Victor
