Update 3: March 7, 2022
Greetings friends.
After 36 long, sleepless hours, we’ve finally made it back in our town in Romania. Success! Tons of various products were left at the drop-site 30km into Ukraine. From there, they will be picked up and distributed to the church/organization in contact that knows the needs of people further inland (they are the ones that send us lists of the most essential products).
What we did: Our convoy of 9 utility vans made it in and out without problem at the border. We jump to the front of the line as humanitarian aid workers. Our van overheated once on the way up which we fixed quickly. On the way out, just as we had passed through Romanian customs, our differential left the chat and the van was left out of service. Firefighters helped push it to the side of the road near the refugee camps and we left it there. Our van was one of the few that had a row of back seats (along with a Mercedes Sprinter van). The Merc ended up driving us 2h towards our home town before heading back to pick up 3 refugee women. My driver and I each squeezed in a front bench of the other vans heading home. Someone from a town close to the border will be picking up the van via flatbed, fixing the. drivetrain and we will be picking it up on the next run on Wed (today is Sunday).
What we saw: There are a few lines heading out of Ukraine on this end: People, Cars, humanitarian aid and busses (of people). The cars line was kilometres long…I will post the video. The people on foot line was pretty long but in a few hours, you make it across the border. Pros of that is you make it across. Cons is you have to find transportation and you have few belongings with you. Leaving with a car is great but the people are in line for days. The children have nothing to do, the cars get cold and need fuel to keep it warm, food is scare. There are a couple gas stations near the border, I can only assume this is where most people walk to for supplies and then head back to their cars. On the people-on-foot side, kids are playing innocently, mothers are vulnerable and crying, and grandmothers are leaning on their grandchildren looking very weary and concerned. Many homes seen to be abandoned but I can’t confirm that they are. There are still people working shops and driving around but many shops are closed due to what I imagine to be lack of incoming shipments.
What’s next: One thing you notice a lot is this human chain where boxes are passed from one to the next. Many hands make light work and it’s highly efficient. From monetary donations to supply donations to vehicle maintenance, volunteering to sort and pack, driving up, administration of the papers, dropping off and so fourth, everyone is essential and we all have one or more roles to play. Throughout the trip and while unloading the convoy I took many photos and videos that capture the atmosphere. I will be organizing those and sending them to the various organizations that have come together to deliver these supples so we can all continue to raise funds in Europe and North America and get donations of food and medical supplies coming in. I’ll also be preparing the next convoy from our township of Alba this Fri. Things on this end look good and we are getting a system in place. We’ve since modified the logistics to include an overnight stop in Suceava, a town near the Ukrainian border, to avoid burning the drivers out. Oddly enough, I’ve been in contact with a pastor in Suceava that is organizing housing and food for refugees being bussed to them from the border. It looks like we might be able to link what we have going on in Alba with Suceava by dropping them off supplies as well and sleeping overnight there when we do the runs. I will continue working on the media front so the churches and organizations can use the material in raising awareness and funds.
Current needs: As of now, a ton of supplies we bought this week (diapers, oil, milk) have made it successfully to Ukraine. You guys made this happen! Thank you so much, I’m honoured to be working alongside all of you. Please share this success story with all your friends, inspire them to join along as well by donating and sharing the donation link and stories. Right now I’m making a list of supplies required in Suceava/Ukraine and working with various organizations to procure them. As I raise funds on my end I’m able to buy whatever I can and add it to the convoy. In Suceava, many refugees are passing through but they need a place to stay for a night or two before moving on. To cook hot meals for about 40 refugees a day it costs ballpark $150CAD/day. The people in Romania are doing what they can, mostly donating goods, but salaries here are give/take about $1000CAD a month so there’s only so much they can do. Looking for suggestions, open to any ideas.
I will continue with the blog posts as frequently as possible. There is much happening on a daily basis!
Be blessed and stay safe!
