“It was my first time on an aid trip. A lot of things were done in those couple of days on the Ukrainian side (and still nothing that was planned got done…). You didn’t always get enough time to sleep and eat properly on the way, but I still don’t regret this trip and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than in Ukraine.
In several places where donations were taken, recipients told us how invaluable it is that Finns help. Many others have stopped caring, but help still comes from Finland, even if it doesn’t come from elsewhere. Everyone is so grateful for all the help that can be offered.
There are so many homeless animals in shelters and on the streets that it is impossible to even comprehend. It breaks my heart for each and every one. Even if shelter keepers do their best, it is impossible in these conditions where more animals are coming in than going out. Adopt, don’t shop! Find out if you can adopt a homeless pet from Ukraine!”
/ Mary
Travel diary:
We started the trip on Friday morning by loading the van full from the warehouse in Turku. Or so we thought, but in Helsinki we could still fit a lot of things in there, if we planned and calculated properly. The bus was fitted with winter tyres in case it was slippery on the way back to Finland. We have learned from our mistakes. It was a complicated day, in the morning we were Lauri, Jukka and me, Mirva, and in the morning Maria and Disa. Then we went to Helsinki in three different ways and there we were all of the above, except Disa, plus Seijamirjami and Klaus. In the evening, Teho-Veera arrived from Imatra and stuffed all the remaining holes of the minibus full of medical equipment and animal supplies. Even our pockets were full of cat food bags as we headed towards the West Harbour.
So Veera, Lauri, Jukka, Maria and me went on the trip. Ville was picked up from Warsaw a couple of days later. The first night was spent in Pärnu, the second in Suwalk and the last before Ukraine in Zamosc. Again we prepared ourselves for the border crossing with rest and refreshments, but this time it seemed to be a new record: less than an hour from Poland to Ukraine and still with two cars!
First, we headed to Lutsk in New Boratyn to unload people’s food, hospital supplies, heaters, aggregates, sleeping bags and wool socks. We exchanged news and sent warm greetings and big thanks to Finland, as long as we still have the energy to help. Many others have given up, but we Finns are coming from over a thousand miles away to bring hope and care to the weary heroes.
Then it was the turn of the first animal shelter: the Anna Romanenko in Kivertsi. We left them a huge amount of food, medical supplies for the animals, transport pails, blankets, towels and other supplies. Anna introduced her facilities to our new volunteers and the lovely animals stole everyone’s hearts. If only we could do more. 💙
We spent the night in Lutsk and in the morning, after a special breakfast experience, we walked around a bit before the next long car ride. We met a lady in the square selling roses she had made from satin ribbons, and a google search told us that a blessing ceremony for a young boy was about to begin. She told us that she makes roses for everyone to share and if you want to pay something for them, they use the money to make a camouflage net for the soldiers. Of course we gave him all the cash we could find in our pockets and cried and hugged for a long time. We stared, speechless, at the wall covered with pictures of the soldiers who had died, and laid down the canvas roses we had just received in their memory.
After an emotional morning, we drove to the Fin Est Volunteers house to get acquainted with the activities. We were a bit early, so we decided to go to a nearby village to find cups of coffee, but it turned out otherwise. We wondered why there were a lot of people standing along the street, as if they were waiting for something. We looked for a parking space and curiously joined the crowd. Soon we saw a long line of army cars driving down the main street, flags flying, led by a hearse. We followed the procession and the people to the square, where an incredibly beautiful and moving ceremony was being held in honour of the fallen. I cannot describe in words how it felt, or even how I feel now as I write this. I will probably never forget how we were able to kneel down to honour the hero’s final journey.
It was difficult to continue our journey, but the chilly weather and the rain motivated us a little. It was nice to see Tarja for a long time and for first timers it was quite an information blitz about all possible volunteer activities in Ukraine. And we got some proper Finnish coffee, it was quite absurd all of a sudden. We continued our journey towards our place of renovation, but at the last minute we were informed that we were not expected until the morning and I quickly got us hotel rooms in Lviv. We spent the evening each in our own way. Some of us replenished our stock of socks, some adventured around the city, some just rested and others went out for dinner. I tried to find things for sale in Fin Aid’s online shop during that evening stroll and I grabbed something from there.
On Wednesday, we arrived at Olena’s farms with hammers and drills ready for action. Or some tools, I’m not really a raksa guy so I’m not really sure. I then left with Maria to take food and supplies to another animal shelter while the rest of the crew stayed behind to refurbish the enclosures and shelters for the animals at Olena. The weather was very good for the renovation and the mood was positive. I went with Olena to buy more building supplies with donated funds and she was very grateful. We took turns laughing and crying at the local bauhaus and Olena learned a few Finnish power words as we lifted heavy wooden boards into the van. As the evening began to darken, we had to say goodbye to Olena and look for another place to stay. We found a lovely little hotel in the village, where we were welcomed with open arms. I can’t remember ever being treated so well anywhere else, it was a very welcome feeling. The food in the hotel restaurant was just too good to be true, and on top of that the sleep was really good.
On Thursday, we delivered 408 kg of food and rations to one more animal farm in eastern Ukraine, where we did not drive ourselves because of the increased risks. Then we went to the market to look for handicrafts to sell in the online shop and bazaars, as the next project is already looming on the calendar. Again, there were tears and hugs with a market granny when I told her that we were volunteers from Finland bringing humanitarian aid. These trips are not done with dry eyes. Some small fillings were put in our bags and our stomachs were filled at an interesting little buffet, where a whole grilled chicken was shared between us and the chips were picked up from the restaurant next door. These are the different moments, we didn’t cry at all but smiled quite broadly. So sweet that they wanted to grant our wish, even though it was such a hassle for them.
We drove back to Lutsk and dropped off at New Boratyn all the tools that Olena didn’t need to get to the front. We received a gift of a missile shell painted by the children to sell to raise funds for our next relief effort. The corner of my eye got a little wet again, but luckily I was in a hurry to get on, so I didn’t have time to get any wetter. Quick hugs and the cars headed for Kiverts, where Maria stayed to work at Anna’s animal shelter for a month. We escorted Maria safely to her hotel and continued our journey to the border crossing for a good night’s sleep.
We were at the border again early in the morning, before the queues, and everything went very smoothly again. I cried again, as a Ukrainian woman fleeing the war helped me sort things out. It was quite quiet in the car for a long way, I guess everyone had a lot on their minds and was very tired. I was lying on the back seat somewhere between stupor and sleep, not really grasping anything: not sleep, not thoughts, not reality. Even though I wanted to cry, I couldn’t.
On the way back we slept one night in Kaunas and caught the 16:30 ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki on Saturday. We agreed that we would try to be home on Saturday so that everyone could get some rest on Sunday before the week started. Personally, I might have needed a few more days of rest before returning to work, but you can’t be away from it indefinitely just to get a bit of world travel from these aid trips at regular intervals. But now, five days later, I feel like I can look at those travel photos and pick out a few for this story.
I wish everyone understanding, feelings of happiness in their own peace, love and kindness and, above all, world peace. Slava Ukraini.
~Mirva
#slavaukraine
#everyoneworthliving
💙💛
