A Successful Start
We began our mission of delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine with the successful transportation of vehicles and supplies to their designations. We were honoured to meet representatives from the Bristol Rotary Club, Lviv International Rotary Club, Dartmouth Rotary Club and Bishops Waltham Rotary Club, whose generous donations contributed to our efforts.
V-Aid is incredibly proud to be working with Rotary Clubs in both the UK and Ukraine. It is truly inspiring to see representatives from these different groups come together to discuss their donations.
A Change of Plans
Things took a turn for the worse when we decided to return the Bishops Waltham Rotary Club vehicle with our drivers. This led to an unforeseen adventure! We got lost, spent several hours navigating and even encountered armed military personnel. Despite all these challenges, our commitment to get food, medical supplies and transport to Ukraine never waned.
The aid reached Ukraine as planned. Throughout the mission, we witnessed the beauty of this war-torn country. We successfully delivered the supplies and brought back three of the four vehicles, with one returning volunteers and soon to be refilled with aid.
More Than Just Delivery
This journey was not only about delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine. We have grown as an organisation. V-Aid has learnt good lessons for future work, facing challenges ranging from logistics to unexpected meetings. We have successfully adapted, for example by converting a vehicle to transport volunteers, allowing us to maximise impact and be resourceful.
As we reflect on our journey, we are grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in Ukraine. We continue to support communities in need both locally and internationally.