Board member Niels received a token of appreciation for our work from the ambassador of Ukraine. We are proud of it, and it gives us extra motivation to keep going at full strength. (Photo: Lera Manzovitova)
Back from Ukraine, board member Ron visited the Princess Máxima Center for paediatric oncology in Utrecht, where many Ukrainian children are treated. He brought two cakes from Kharkiv for the Ukrainian staff and children, along with a booklet of stamps: "Children of the victory draw the Ukraine of the future". The cake was a treasured childhood memory, said the Ukrainian interpreter who was born in Kharkiv.
The latest shipment has arrived at ETOC in Kharkiv, with thanks to everyone who helped arrange the transport. Four pallets of supplies from ambulance stations and directly from Almeva are hugely welcome. This time they hold personal protective equipment and trauma materials of the kind used in Dutch ambulance care as well: tourniquets, haemostatic gauze, infusion materials and tracheostomy sets. The doctors and nurses are delighted with them.
The Pajero that Ron drove over was filled with supplies for the volunteers in Kharkiv. Some of them help with clearing up and first repairs after a strike. Helmets and practical protective gear from the ambulance stations and from a large maritime company let them work more safely. It also tells the volunteers that their often dangerous work is seen and supported.
Board member Ron Roozendaal drives back and forth regularly. There is a lot we can learn from Ukrainians: how people organise themselves and how they deal with the war. What can you still do yourself, what does a society depend on, and how does that actually work? He wrote a blog post about it on his own website.
Thanks to the mechanics, two vehicles are ready for the next run: a Land Rover Discovery 1 and a Mitsubishi Pajero. They carry a batch of personal protective equipment for the ambulance service in Kharkiv, a number of generators, and if we can manage it, more trauma care consumables such as tourniquets and haemostatic gauze.