Well March has been a month like no other, and it’s only halfway through.
On the first of the month, we had nothing, by the 17th we had a charity application under review with the Charity Commission, an army of volunteers ready and very willing to start collecting and sorting aid in wider Bristol, and a community leader in Chernivtsi, SW Ukraine sorting out a warehouse to which we can send the aid.
He’s also lining up other groups over there that will help get the aid to those most in need, and from reports that we have received, the need is very great. His group is driving to the ‘line of fire’ to rescue people from the danger zones and bring them to a place of relative safety.
People leaving their homes and their cities with just what they can carry, often just in one large bag. All their personal needs, and enough to last for an uncertain future with no current end date. Add to that those who had to provide for their babies, some new born, and as any parent will know, there is a volume of stuff that needs to be carried for a baby, and they go through it all so quickly.
It’s those people that we are focusing on as part of this first consignment. Supplies for babies, adult personal hygiene products and warm baby clothing. Add to that blankets, bedding, mattresses and food and we can supply them enough to get them through the next few days. Getting through the day is an everyday challenge for thousands in Ukraine right now. As I write this, mid-day temperatures rise to 5oC, falling to -6oC overnight. Together we can make a difference to someone’s life.
I have been privileged to travel the length and breadth of Ukraine, and I have met many people from that beautiful country. My overwhelming impression wherever I went was of a warm, open-hearted, caring, and loving people. I know that their hearts must be breaking as they see the devastation to their towns and cities, the trauma that is being experienced by their family and friends. This is our opportunity to show them that they are not forgotten. We will stand with the people of Ukraine, we will stand with those that have been displaced sometimes thousands of miles, we will send a message of hope. Hope for Ukraine. Catch up in a later blog for news of the fantastic efforts of many people in the local area who have rallied to the call. This story has just begun, but it has begun, and we can be a part of it.