Ambulances to Ukraine

Ambulances to Ukraine - Report to District 1090

Thank you
A huge thank you to all the clubs and private donors from within the Rotary Community of District 1090. 
20 clubs and individuals made a contribution to this invaluable project and the total of £28,000 enabled us to buy and deliver five ambulances to Ukraine. 
I do hope that this report will provide an insight into to the project, its origin and the splendid outcome.

Origins
Jordans and District Rotary Club decided that it would like to achieve something of significance in the Rotary year 2023-24. The club supported the suggestion that it would try to raise the funds for to buy and send a second-hand ambulance to Ukraine. This was in part triggered by a close association with a refugee family from Ukraine, so appreciating first hand the trauma of the war in their country. The club agreed to provide £1300 in the hope that this would be matched by a District Grant. The RC of Marlow Thames was approached to engage with us and both clubs obtained a District Grant, meaning that we had a combined figure of £5200, just £1000 short of the initial target. One of the members at Jordans and District secured a donation of £1000 from a benefactor in the USA and we were now able to fund our first ambulance.

Purchase and Delivery
Second-hand ambulances are for sale widely in the UK, but it was necessary to ensure that they would be of the appropriate specification for the needs of the usage in Ukraine. Jordans and District linked up with Will Jackson, a member of Hereford Edgar RC, who had considerable experience of buying and delivering ambulances to Ukraine. Will kindly took on the responsibility of sourcing appropriate ambulances, often at favourable prices and arranging delivery.
The ambulances were always serviced, refit as necessary and stocked with supplies such as medical equipment, spare parts or transformers as required in Ukraine. They were then stored until ready for delivery. Delivery was either in the form of a convoy with either another ambulance or with 4 by 4 vehicles, or alternatively were loaded into a larger transporter with other vehicles and medical supplies. Convoys were driven across Europe by people known to Rotarians, often by Ukrainians who had flown here specially to undertake this task.

District Clubs support the Project
Once the first ambulance was bought, David Sutherland, who leads the District Ukrainian Strategy, joined with David Brodie from Jordan’s and District RC to engage with other clubs in the District. Clubs were invited to contribute to the overall project and the response was way beyond our original aspiration of one ambulance. Over a period of a few months, 20 Clubs contributed a total of £17,000 to the project. In addition, we received a private donation of £5000 through the agency of the Charities Aid Foundation, meaning that by June 2024, sufficient funds were in place to buy and deliver five ambulances to Ukraine.

What happens to the ambulances in Ukraine?
Through Will Jackson, we have linked up with a variety of organisations in Ukraine including:

• Ukraine Unity RC, District 2232
• Ukraine Freedom Company
• Friends of Oleksandriya
• Ukraine Chaikoychi Fund Group

These and others ensure that the ambulances are delivered to the places where they are needed most. Locations include:

1. Supplied to Lviv Rotary Club and given to volunteers in Kherson City.
2. Supplied to a charity called Protect Khmeinychcyna and to be used in the Zaporizhzia region.
3. Supplied to a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
4. Following damage was repainted green and used as an extraction vehicle for injured troops to return them to a hospital in Lviv
5. 4x4 vehicles extract injured troops from the front line and border villages and then transferred to this ambulance from a safe zone to a hospital or triage centre.

Photographs
We have received many photographs of ambulances having been delivered to Ukraine and a few have been included at the end of this report. Also we received the following certificate of thanks for the first ambulance delivered, which was mainly funded by Jordans and District and Marlow Thames. I hope that you will consider the photographs to be self-explanatory.
In addition, we have received a video of thanks from one set of recipients in Ukraine.

What happens next?
We are actively considering whether we should continue this important humanitarian project, especially as the need has never been greater in Ukraine following the indiscriminate Russian bombing. Jordans and District RC have agreed to be the recipient of future funding for onward transmission and one option would be to extend the request for support beyond our own District 1090.

Should any club, either in District 1090 or further afield wish to contribute to further support for Ukraine, please do not hesitate to contact David Brodie.