Date
Category
Charity Convoy
Reading Time
8 Min
Convoy 4 Ukraine
Last September, I joined a convoy of 18 vans, one ambulance, and an incredible team of volunteers, driving my own 4x4 loaded with humanitarian aid over 1,200 miles from South London to Ukraine. I had been looking for a while for some way to help those in Ukraine that had a direct impact and this was perfect - every single item that was donated into my truck was handed over beyond the border, including the truck - and being one of the only females to drive the full 1200 miles over 5 days, it was hard work, but so rewarding.
Ready to go
Thanks to all some amazingly generous donations, we had hundreds of pounds worth of medical aid, a complete set of kitchen equipment and women's sanitary products for the Phoenix women's refuge, plus huge boxes of lifesaving clean water filters from the Derbyshire charity Aquabox, all packed into my truck Warrior, ready for the off!
The support I received was amazing in such a short space of time and I couldn't have done all this without the support from friends and family. I raised over £2300 in 2 weeks which allowed us to buy the medical aid and fund the cost of the vehicle - all of which was donated to save lives in Ukraine.
Conclusion
It was when the US withdrew support for Ukraine earlier in the year that suddenly made me feel so strongly about helping Ukraine at a time when they needed someone most. It made me determined to personally do something to help our European friends. It always feels distant on the news, but the fact that it was possible to reach only by driving and hand deliver help to Ukraine was an incredible concept to me. Even when you feel powerless to help, I remembered one of my friends that had said ‘there’s always something you can do.’ So true.
Jo Wilkinson
Driver & fundraiser
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