People in Need dispatched a convoy from the Czech Republic carrying roofing material and winter clothing for thousands of Ukrainians affected by conflict

Published: Jan 7, 2015 Reading time: 5 minutes
People in Need dispatched a convoy from the Czech Republic carrying roofing material and winter clothing for thousands of Ukrainians affected by conflict
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Prague, Slavyansk (14th January 2015) – Last Thursday, a convoy of five lorries carrying roofing material and clothing has left the Czech Republic, heading two thousand kilometres away to Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine. From there, the People in Need’s Ukrainian team will further distribute aid worth 300,000 Czech crowns. Nearly 47 tonnes of roofing material will help in the reconstruction of hundreds of war-damaged houses, while 5 tonnes of winter clothing will serve thousands of internal refugees in eastern Ukraine’s freezing weather. A tonne of dishes and first-aid kits will also be sent to Donbass.

PHOTOGRAPHS of People in Need’s help in eastern Ukraine

BEFORE and AFTER People in Need has already repaired 500 houses, as shown before and after our help

The shipment will arrive at the warehouse of People in Need, which helps IDPs (internally displaced persons) and the most vulnerable people in eastern Ukraine since August last year. „We have been providing material for roof and window repairs to villages in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions for several months. We also help seniors and the infirm repair their homes,” states Vladislav Vik, People in Need’s desk officer for Ukraine. “We will use more than 2,600 pieces of roofing for minor repairs in the winter and especially for spring reconstructions,” he adds, stating that roofing material will help in repairing hundreds of damaged houses.

Aid can be sent directly to the SOS Ukraine account 93209320/0300 or via SMS by texting

DMS SOSUKRAJINA to the number 87777

Card payment accepted HERE

(You can also deduct your gift from your taxes)

Winter clothing will help thousands of IDPs who have frequently fled shelling only with a few personal belongings and who do not have the means to purchase clothing. „In collaboration with local authorities, warm clothing will be given to those most in need during regular food distribution,“ Vladislav Vik explains. „Out of principle, we try to buy food and material aid locally in order to support the local economy and to save on transport costs. We only organise Czech imports in exceptional cases, when transport and material are offered for free,“ says Vladislav Vik. 

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Transporting 98 tonnes of aid would not be possible without the gifts and support from several companies and organisations. The Czech company Isolit-Bravo s.r.o. from Jablonné nad Orlicí has donated transport - including lorries, drivers, and fuel. „If there are people in distress somewhere and we have the power to help, we cannot remain inactive and quietly enjoy Christmas cookies. The frustration of our times stems from a lack of empathy for the conditions and possible suffering of others. Let’s grumble less and work and help more. I see our assistance as a small fulfilment of Havel’s legacy that truth and love will prevail over lies and hatred,“ says the CEO of Isolit-Bravo Kvido Štěpánek, adding that a commercial transport of such an amount of material would cost nearly 600,000 Czech crowns.

The Cembrit a.s. company delivered nearly 47 tonnes of roofing material. „I’ve seen a report on aid in eastern Ukraine, where People in Need used the same material that we produce. This combined with a positive experience with the organisation’s staff and my love for Ukraine. So I asked around in Cembrit whether we could help. The company’s management approved our assistance, for which I am thankful. Our roofing material will thus reach innocent people who have become victims of the conflict. It is necessary to help them now,“ says Vít Gromeš from the Cembrit company.

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Winter clothing has been supplied by several organisations. The lorries will carry over 40 tonnes of clothing from the Salvation Army. „Within the scope of the ReSHare project, the Salvation Army has been collecting used clothing since last year thanks to clothes collection containers we placed in cities where our organisation operates. We are very pleased by the public’s interest in donating clothing and in helping those in need,“ says Pavla Vopeláková from the Salvation Army, adding: „The Salvation Army sorts and uses all clothing in its facilities. Given the large amount of collected clothes, we can send an incredible 40 tonnes of clothing to Ukraine, acquired thanks to the ReShare project’s collection containers.“

The ADRA organisation has also donated several tonnes of winter clothing. „People donated these things to social wardrobes that we run in Frýdek-Místek and Havířov. They mostly serve our homeless or get sold in the charity shop. When we have the opportunity to donate something abroad, however, we are happy to do so,“ says Radek Špinka from the ADRA organisation. „We especially welcome that we can join forces with several non-governmental organisations. It is more effective and if a similar opportunity arises in the future, we will participate again,” he adds.

Five tonnes of clothing in the convoy were supplied by the Prague and Broumov branches of Diaconia ECCB and more winter clothes were provided by the Relief Society for Women and volunteers from Krnov, while Mercedes-Benz donated 700 first-aid kits. The Embassy of The Czech Republic in Kiev has substantially helped with the administration and clearance of the convoy.

People in Need’s help in Ukraine:

People in Need has been helping in eastern Ukraine since August, organising assistance from the Slavyansk office. It provides those most in need with immediate humanitarian aid, such as food or medicine. It helps repair damaged houses and equip refugee centres. It also offers food vouchers to people. Since the beginning of November, People in Need has been systematically working in Donetsk and areas controlled by separatists. It has opened an office in the city and provides the most vulnerable people with food, medicine, toiletries, and baby diapers. On a monthly basis, it provides food to over 7,000 people. It has also supported several retirement homes, hospices, and shelters for the homeless. Read more here.

For more information, please contact:

Ivo Dokoupil, Aid Coordinator in Ukraine (travels in the convoy), +420 777 787 927, Ukrainian number +380997336881 Ivo.Dokoupil@tiscali.cz

Vladislav Vik, PIN desk officer for Ukraine, +420 778 531 399, Vladislav.Vik@clovekvtisni.cz

Autor: Petr Štefan