Drop-off in donations as media loses interest in Ukraine crisis, Bristol aid organisation says
Photo credit: Joe Skirkowski
A local grassroots aid organisation that has delivered thousands of boxes of humanitarian aid directly from a Bedminster warehouse to the Ukrainian border has expressed concern that reduced media coverage of the war has caused a drop in donations that could mean they are unable to continue operating at the same capacity.
From Bristol, With Love for Ukraine was started by Dr Razvan Constantinescu and his wife Ileana after Russian forces invaded Ukraine on 24 February and has since sent over 3,000 boxes of aid containing everything from baby formula to wheelchairs and camping equipment directly to Ukraine’s Odesa region, with the first delivery being made just three days into the conflict.
The group are scheduled to send their next delivery on Sunday 19 June, but are still in need of donations to fill their vehicles and make the trip viable. To be financially efficient, the group needs to send full van-loads of boxes in each delivery and Razvan now fears that if they do not see an upturn in donations soon, they may no longer be able to send such regular shipments.
‘The shock has worn off, the news has moved on’
“Unfortunately, over time we’ve seen a drop-off in donations and volunteers coming forward,” said Razvan, who is the Romanian consul to the south west of England and previously co-ordinated small consignments of aid to help disadvantaged communities back in his home country. “At the start we had dozens of volunteers and more donations than we could handle, but the difference between then and now is very noticeable.”
“The mobilisation at the start of the war was remarkable and we still have a good output but, for right or wrong, it feels like the shock has worn off, the news has moved on and people may have become used to seeing what is going on over there and have learned to live with it.”
The team have contacts in Odesa, Ukraine’s third largest city and a key port on the Black Sea, who provide them with lists of the items that are most needed, thus ensuring that donations and funds can be targeted towards only the most useful products.
“Right now, food is the number one priority, but anything is useful,” said Razvan. “You have to imagine a country where the system has completely collapsed, and no one is delivering basic supplies to the shops – because of this, everything these people get has to come from people like us.”
“Anything people can give, whether it’s a tin of soup, a packet of paracetamol or even just a handwritten card, can have an impact. I’m a former refugee myself, so I know the impact it has when you know that someone out there in the world is thinking of you.”
‘We’re in a race against time’
The team is entirely made up of volunteers, who give up their weekends to sort, package and label donations and take time off work to make the over 3500-mile round trip to a drop-off facility in Galati, Romania, where soldiers from the Ukrainian army can safely come and collect the aid before taking it across the border to be distributed.
They have successfully organised 20 deliveries from their facility in a disused Royal Mail sorting facility in Willway Street, Bedminster, over the last three months, as well as several additional trips within Romania, where they use donated money from Bristol to buy food and other supplies at a cheaper price before ferrying them to the border.
Jade Stott, a yoga teacher from Easter Compton, recently made the trip with her partner Rob Miles. “We were delivering nine electricity generators to be used in hospitals over there. What we were carrying was so valuable that we slept on the boxes in the back of the van,” she said. “It was a demanding two-day drive but it was more than worth it. We were sent photos of the aid we delivered being distributed and it makes you very emotional seeing how the work you’ve done is making a difference to people facing such hardship.”
Whilst Odesa has not been assaulted directly, it is believed to be a key target for Vladmir Putin and the city has suffered numerous air and missile strikes as well as a naval blockade. The city has also become a focal point for many of the 7.7 million internally displaced refugees who are hoping to cross the border into the safety of Romania, a NATO and EU member state.
“In many ways we are in a race against time,” said Razvan. “If Odesa is targeted then we will no longer be able to deliver aid there, the more we can get in now the better.”
A list of items that are most needed can be found on the From Bristol, With Love for Ukraine website, along with details of how and when people can volunteer. Any clothing donations that can’t be sent to Ukraine but are of good quality are donated to St Peter’s Hospice.
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Thanks for posting this story. You’ve recorded and posted the facts accurately and without any political tilt. The people of Bristol have been kind and generous and we have received so many messages of gratitude from the Ukrainian people. I’m a volunteer for this charity and we are in it for the long haul.
Thanks for posting this story. You have recorded and reported the facts accurately and without political bias. I am a volunteer with this organisation. The people of Bristol have been very kind and generous and we have received so many messages of gratitude from Ukrainians. We are in this for the long haul!
Many thanks to Faizan Butt and the great staff at Asda, Bedminster for helping us collect at the store this weekend.