Humanitarian supplies for Ukraine
By Stefan Scholten
in
International transport
Creating impact
09 March 2022
The war in Ukraine has created a humanitarian disaster. Standing by is not an option, so we immediately put a team in place. So in cooperation with our Polish and Romanian Van der Wal teams, we quickly set up transports for relief goods and aim to do this in the long run.
Updates:
- 12-04-2022 - The 20th truck has left, loaded with goods from Kinderen in Nood, Stichting Spoetnik, De Farmhouse Ministries and Rataplan. This truck, with destination Lviv in Ukraine, contains humanitarian goods such as medicine, bicycles and children's beds. We seized this moment to pay tribute to the many partners who help enable these transports.
- 29-03-2022 - Successful shipment to Ukraine of almost 3 tons urgently required antibiotics
- 29-03-2022 - Moonen Packaging donates another 50 pallet boxes, totalling 100. These boxes enable safe and double stacking.
- 27-03-2022 - Crowdfunding: Weʼre raising £3,000 to provide communications to support our humanitarian aid mission to Ukraine
- 25-03-2022 - Another two trucks departed today after cross-docking in Utrecht: One for the Red Cross in Odessa, one to Poland for refugees there
- 24-03-2022 - Good news: Donations for more shipments continue coming
- 22-03-2022 - 15th Truck has departed with destination Ukraine
- 10-03-2022 - 1st shipment on its way from Romania to Ukraine
To do nothing and stand by is no option
Since Van der Wal has been operating throughout the Eastern European region for decades, we want to help where our expertise and strengths lies.
Thus, we use our transport and logistics expertise and drive with trucks towards the affected regions. To bring the first necessary supplies as quickly as possible, the first trucks left this week. We expect that the support will be needed for an extended period of time, so we will continue to provide free transport to border areas of Ukraine in Poland and Romania.
Crowdfunding: Ukraine requests cell phones and 27MCs
Joint effort
After Vera and Henk told the 8 o'clock news of the NOS (Monday, 28 February) about the impact of the war in Ukraine and the initiative to provide free transports of humanitarian supplies, they immediately received many phone calls and emails. From major aid organizations, and our customers, to small civil initiatives. It is incredible to see how many people want to contribute!
You can watch the broadcast here: https://www.npostart.nl/POW_05158616 (Start item: 25.30, with Van der Wal at 26.30).
Transport with humanitarian goods to Ukraine, Poland and Romania
Meanwhile, we have a strong team operating to organize the logistics professionally. From Utrecht, we arrange the collection and loading of goods. Together with our subsidiaries in Poland and Romania, we organize transport and delivery. For the initiatives that collected the necessary goods in the Netherlands but didn't have access to the contacts to ensure these is delivered to the right destination, our colleagues in Romania and Poland have selected a number of organizations which we know they are reliable. They can ensure that the collected goods will reach the right places in Ukraine, Romania and Poland. Think of organizations like Caritas, the Polish Red Cross, Polish Humanitarian Action in Poland, and Asociata Zi de bine in Romania.
Stichting Rataplan at Van der Wal to unload seven lorries full of aid goods for Ukraine.
Support for transport to Ukraine
Many colleagues, customers and suppliers are already helping to make these transports possible. From colleagues who (partly) in their spare time organize and drive these transports to customers and suppliers who, financially and with supplies, make large donations. A few excellent examples are:
- Partner Groenleven made a substantial financial contribution enabling 20 transports to be arranged
- Partner Quickstra donated a lot of old phones and enabled 1 transport.
- Moonen Packaging donated 2 times 50 pallet boxes, making a total of 100. These boxes enable safe and double stacking.
- The tarpaulins (as shown on the first image) are provided by our partner Dekkledenfabriek Willem de Jong. Thanks to them the trucks are driving with tarpaulins on the back to draw (even) more attention to Ukraine.
- Van Dijk Trucks has generously helped out when the truck of a carrier hired by us broke down. Van Dijk took care of the reparation and replacement of an expensive part for this worthy purpose, for which we would like to express our appreciation!
Because the support will be needed for a long time we also call upon you:
Can you or the organisation you work at contribute something?
There are many ways you can do something, such as:
- Offer aid supplies
- Goods that you make or trade in your own business and which are useful for the crisis areas
- Useful contacts/collaborations
- Financial donations
As for financial donations, we use them to cover half of the costs of each transport. The other half is at our own expense.
Donations can be made via https://lnkd.in/eX7DUTxm and are highly appreciated.
Do you or your organization want to contribute?
Please contact us through your regular contact person or give us a call or send an email:
