Irish humanitarians prepare for trip to Ukraine
Kilkenny men Jim Harding from Gowran and Tom Walsh from Dunmore with one of the emergency vehicles they will be bringing to Ukraine. Picture: Mary Browne
A humanitarian is busy rescuing emergency vehicles from the scrapyard to form a Ukraine-bound convoy on a life-saving mission to help wounded soldiers.
Jim Harding, who heads the Kilkenny Ukraine initiative, has been overseeing extensive repairs of a fleet of vehicles over the past few months.
It is all hands on deck as he endeavours to have the vehicles ready for transportation to Ukraine next month.
The vehicles will be used on the frontline to evacuate casualties to triage stations, stabilisation points, and hospitals.
As well as repairing the decommissioned vehicles, the group’s volunteers will drive them across Europe. Some will visit hospitals along the way to donate vital medical supplies.
Last year, the team delivered necessities such as body bags, bandages, incontinence pads, and catheters, among other items.
Mr Harding has taken part in several convoys since founding the group in 2022.
This year’s fleet includes four ambulances, a van, a bus, and a small truck.
A total of 12 drivers will make up the convoy, which is set to travel through France, Belgium, Germany, and Poland before reaching its destination in Kyiv.
The fleet will also be carrying medical supplies donated by Irish GPs, hospitals, and medical facilities. The trip comes more than three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, resulting in hundreds of thousands of military casualties as well as tens of thousands of civilian casualties.
Mr Harding has been heartened by the support shown to them during previous trips: “We generally put an Ireland to Ukraine sticker on the vehicles, which means we’re sometimes met with the sound of beeping and cheering.
“You do get hostility. There are people who give the thumbs down as you pass them.
"It all depends on what country you are going through.
"There are certain locations where you wouldn’t dream of displaying the sticker.
"In Hungary and Slovakia, you wouldn’t even think about it.
“It’s not that you would be in imminent danger, but you don’t want people to know where you are going for fear of inviting trouble.
“Of course, there are times when I am criticised for what we’re doing back in Ireland too — but mostly this criticism comes from people of Russian descent.”
The Kilkenny man is keen to meet with Ukrainian civilians impacted by the war.
“A couple of us will be heading to Kharkiv, which is very close to the frontline. It is pretty much bombed every day.
He is most looking forward to delivering vital medical aid. “A lot of the supplies we give out are used in emergency situations. Much of it is out of date, but is still safe to use.
"Items like bandages and syringes are still usable even if they are out of date. It really doesn’t matter as long as they are still useful in emergencies,” he said.
• To learn more, visit KilkennyUkraine.com
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