Convoy 51: Our 100th Vehicle and a Farewell to Taras
Convoy 51 is back. Two weeks after the car transporter set off, the main convoy left for Dmytriwka and Berestyn: a 40-tonne truck, a 9-tonne truck with a trailer (carrying four more trailers to be handed over), an ambulance, a patient transport vehicle and a fire engine. It was a journey of joy and of grief.
The car transporter with seven cars had already left for Dmytriwka on 14 September.
The actual convoy followed on Friday, 2 October. The 40-tonne truck started in Mehren. In Sankt Augustin, a 9-tonne truck with a trailer, an ambulance, a patient transport vehicle and a fire engine got on the road. Four more trailers were loaded onto the trailer of the 9-tonne truck.
The team spent the night in Poland, partly in the trucks and partly in hotels. The next day we crossed the border. This time it went surprisingly fast in places. Dirk, who drove the 40-tonne truck, was pleasantly surprised and praised the border staff on both sides.
What was in the 40-tonne truck
The big truck carried around 14 tonnes of aid, spread over roughly 1,500 packages and 40 pallets. It included hospital supplies, medicines and bandages, nappies and hygiene products, firefighting equipment and hoses, kitchen utensils, bed linen, clothing, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, emergency cots for children, treatment couches, computers and printers. On top of that came wheelchairs, bicycles, tyres and about 160 packs of candles. Every pallet had a fixed destination, either Dmytriwka or Berestyn.
Monday, 5 October: arrival in Dmytriwka
One by one, all the vehicles arrived in Dmytriwka. First on the programme was a visit to the new mayor.
Afterwards the whole convoy took part in a memorial service for Taras Didytsch, the mayor of Dmytriwka, who was recently killed in a Russian attack. For years he was a close companion of our association, and we reported on him earlier. On behalf of the whole association, a photo book of shared memories was handed to his widow, and flowers were laid. It was the sad part of this journey, and it belongs to it.
After the service we handed over the vehicles. The fire engine goes to the community’s fire brigade, whose old vehicle was destroyed only recently. Equipment and protective clothing come with it. It was the 100th vehicle our association has brought to Ukraine. A small anniversary.
The 40-tonne truck was partly unloaded the same day. Toys and bicycles went to the local children’s homes. About 250 fire extinguishers and the camouflage nets went to the army, and the extinguishers are meant for evacuation vehicles. One of the trailers, a car that was handed over and the patient transport vehicle were also handed over here. They will later travel on to Berestyn with local helpers.
Tuesday, 6 October: on to Berestyn
The next day the 40-tonne truck continued to Berestyn with a small group. Part of the convoy began the journey home from Dmytriwka.
In Berestyn we visited the emergency kitchen that we support and that Antonina runs. It received refrigeration equipment, including a fridge and a chest freezer, and a pallet of kitchen utensils so that production runs more efficiently.
The fire brigade in Natalja (near Berestyn) received equipment. Large quantities of bandages, medicines and care products went to the local hospitals, and the rest to refugee shelters in the town and the surrounding area. Tools went to the army. The patient transport vehicle was handed over here as well.
On Wednesday, everyone started the journey back. On Friday, 9 October, all participants were back on German soil.
Many thanks to the drivers and companions, to everyone who packed, prepared and helped, and to you, who support our association. Without your help, not a single one of these pallets would have arrived.
Hilfe die ankommt.
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