Preparations for a new chapter

I had a small medical procedure in relation to my kidney operation this morning, which was quick and relatively pain free. Thank you to my amazing doctor with perfect English. The hospital looked really different today - no snow and a fountain that looks suspiciously like a swimming pool!

Today, otherwise, consisted of some relaxation, preparations for our forthcoming aid runs and planning for the next chapter.

Next Wednesday we're going to take medical equipment from the Polish organisation, Paczki dla Ukrainy, to a hospital in Dnipro. Shortly after that we want to go back to Kherson. We have specific requests for pushchairs and children's shoes, which we're trying to source. Whilst we were out today we called in at the student warehouse. They have a cot we can take - we just need to find the right allen key to dismantle it - and possibly some pushchairs. These are the items that are often be left behind when people are escaping from bombing, or they have been destroyed in bombing.

We have been trying to decide where we will be of most use, which is not an easy process and we find ourselves debating it at length. However, on our last aid run we found that that there is such a huge need for aid in the Kherson area, which is being regularly shelled, that we want to be closer to it. We're aware that this may disappoint others, as there are needs everywhere. 

So we are going to move to Odesa at the end of this month. We hope to be able to access aid, locally, so that we can make regular aid runs to Kherson, about a 6-hour round trip. We will be able to do some work with children in conjunction with UNICEF, which is based in Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson, and we may also repeat beginners English lessons for adults. 

Preparations have got off to a good start as we have found an apartment near the centre of Odesa. Not only that, but the landlord has given us a discount on the rent to support our volunteer work. He has even offered to show us 2 apartments to see which we like best. This is his way of supporting the war effort - what we save on rent, we can spend on aid and/or diesel for our aid runs, which we often fund ourselves now.

Many people in Odesa will be Russian speaking, as in most of southern/eastern Ukraine. This will be different for us, but it's a fact of life that this is a bilingual country. We're aware that this does not sit easy with Ukrainian speakers in the west of the country. Statues of Pushkin, for example, are being taken down and streets named after Pushkin are being changed. Whether this is right or wrong is not for us to say.

We are really grateful for the donations that keep coming; we always spend them as thoughtfully as we can. We're aware that there are other conflicts and demands for donations. However, if you are able to give anything, please:

1. Open PayPal and, when asked for name of payee or email, enter trawden4ukraine@hotmail.com. 

Or, if you live in/near Trawden:

2. Use the collection box in Trawden community shop.