Vienna Mission for Ukraine

2024/7/1 to 2024/7/31 Recap

Published by Vienna Mission for Ukraine on

2024/7/1 to 2024/7/31 Recap

7/1 to 7/31 TACMED UKRAINE DIESEL SUPPORT PROJECT UPDATE
Thanks to the Tullman Family network, Jesse, Adam, Marie, and Michael, and Elevate Ukraine for providing 501c3 support, TacMed Ukraine narrowly avoided a full shutdown of ambulance operations on 7/1. Donations for at least two months of diesel have since been raised with an average ambulance currently consuming roughly $2k per month in diesel. VM4U performs third-part donation verification using a system of real-time reporting and fuel card accounting. No VM4U donations were used.

7/1 to /31 MUSIC PROGRAM UPDATE

Nadiia, Music Program Manager and Instructor, continues to return refugee children to their music training. The program has 4 instructors for 10 children, thanks to volunteer instructors Joel (Saxophone), Emin (Piano), Nadiia (Elementary music), and Rosa (Guitar). The music program is a partnership with Kimu Wien (@kimu_wien) and Domivka. VM4U donations are used for instrument maintenance, instrument rental, and instruction materials.

7/1 to 7/31 TEAM VIENNA SUPPORT PROGRAM UPDATE

VM4U continues to support our partner organizations in Vienna, Poland, and Ukraine. VM4U has several ongoing projects with UAID-Direct, Operation Change, TacMed Ukraine, and Frontline Medics. VM4U provided local support to YOUkraine, Matusya, and Hela Flanko. A critical need effecting multiple organizations is a significant drop in donations affecting each organization’s ability to fuel and repair their respective vehicle fleets.

7/1 to 7/31 VAN PROGRAM UPDATE

Nathan, Van Program Manager, continues to utilize the VM4U van to circulate donations, relocate refugees, and deliver donated furniture in Vienna as well as deliver medical supplies and other aid to Ukraine. The van went in for minor maintenance on 7/30. VM4U donations are used for fuel and maintenance.

7/1, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29 FOOTBALL PROGRAM TRAINING UPDATE

Coach Oleksandr, Football Program Manager, and Coach Sergii continue to host football training for children ages 6-11 on Monday nights from 17:30-19:00 at the Sportscenter Donaucity in cooperation with Domivka. Field rental and equipment costs are covered by VM4U donations.

7/3, 7/5, 7/16, 7/19, 7/20, 7/22, 7/23, 7/26, 7/30, 7/31 FURNISHINGS PROGRAM UPDATE

Nathan, Furnishings Program Manager, continues to work with Olga, The Feel Good Store, to transfer furniture and appliances directly from donors to refugees on a regular basis using the VM4U van and Nathan’s van. Additionally, the VM4U van and volunteers have been assisting refugees with ‘Wilhaben’ furniture and large appliance purchases. The furnishings team, better known as the VM4U Crew, includes Pasha, Artem, Arkady, Anatolii, Jake, Jesse, Coach Oleksandr, Adam, and others, had 10 days of furniture deliveries this month. VM4U donations are used for van fuel.

7/4 VAN MISSION – HELA FLANKO SUPPORT

Hela Flanko has a project to routinely collect donated medication directly from a large number of pharmacies in Vienna. Nathan, using his private vehicle, provided this support. VM4U donations were used for vehicle fuel.

7/3 FRONTLINE MEDICS MEDICAL SUPPLY PROJECT

Thanks Tullman Family Office network and VM4U sponsorship and Elevate Ukraine for providing 501c3 support, VM4U has procured requested medical equipment for medics with the Frontline Medics organization operating in Donbas. The specific medical equipment is a ventilator and a Stryker stretcher for an ambulance with no stretcher. Frontline medics is an international medics organization registered in the US which operates ambulances in high-risk areas, supports local hospitals, operates mobile clinics, and has been present in Ukraine since March 2022. Michael organized and completed the medical equipment procurement in July. UAID-Direct and VM4U will be jointly conducting the delivery mission in August.

7/6 TACMED UKRAINE POWER SUPPLY PROJECT

Thanks to the support of Bridge of Life, four large batteries were procured by VM4U for TacMed Ukraine. These batteries are parts for a conversion of a large van to a multi-patient evacuation vehicle. These batteries and two ambulance chairs will be transported from Vienna to Ukraine in August.

7/11 OLHA SUPPORT CASE

VM4U came in contact with a mother (with brain cancer) and two children as the family was transiting through Prague on a bus and was deciding on which city to seek refuge. Dr. Uliana (Ukrainian neurologist) and Dr. Liliana communicated with Olha providing medical advise, support, and ‘the Vienna option’. It was decided that the family would go to Munich, which has better medical services in this area. Progress in Munich has been very slow with the first doctor’s appointment to occur on 8/1. VM4U has maintained contact and remains a backup option. No VM4U donations were used.

7/14 VLADIMIR SUPPORT CASE

With the help of Flo, Hela Flanko, as well as Nathan, Project Manager, Vladimir was successfully relocated from Dnipro to Vienna and is now together with his family here in Vienna. No VM4U donations were used.

7/16 NATHAN’S SUPPORT CASE

Nathan, using the VM4U van, helped a local family change apartments. VM4U donations were used for van fuel.

7/23 TANYA SUPPORT CASE UPDATE

Tanya, 51 years old from Charkasi, lives in a government sponsored dormitory and had major surgery on Jan 29 this year. Unfortunately, the surgery had complications including spinal nerve damage and numbness and her recovery now requires physical therapy. VM4U donations, sponsored fully by Gebhard, were used for metro passes for Tanya to go to here regular physical therapy sessions. Thanks to Nathan for the delivery of the metro passes.

7/27 BOHDAN SUPPORT CASE UPDATE

Thanks to Dr. Liliana, Bohden will receive a cost free adaptor to his current prosthetic leg which will permit him to play football with Coach Olegsander and Coach Sergii’s Monday kids football group. No VM4U donations were used.

7/31 UAID-DIRECT/VM4U MEDICAL SUPPLY CHAIN PROJECT 2 UPDATE

The UAID-Direct Project Manager has completed a needs driven medical supply chain between the Partners for World Health (PWH) organization in the USA and Ukrainian hospitals and medics. YOUkraine has integrated their hospital network into the UAID-Direct medical supply chain. Partners for World Health (PWH) loaded a shipping container with nearly 10 tons of donated medical supplies requested by hospitals and medics in Ukraine. The container departed PWH’s warehouse in Boston on July 1 and is currently somewhere in the Atlantic heading toward Ukraine. The container will tentatively arrive at a UAID-Direct associated warehouse in Ukraine on August 14. This project is sponsored by Tullman Family Office and 501c3 support from Elevate Ukraine.

7/31 UAID-DIRECT/VM4U/PCS-FOR-ALL KHERSON MATERNITY HOSPITAL SUPPLY PROJECT

The VM4U and UAID/Direct Project Managers are working to supply urgently needed medical equipment and computers to the only Maternity Hospital in the de-occupied city of Kherson with a current population of 120,000 people. Thanks for Dr. Viktoria and Michael, all medical equipment has been procured. Nathan, has picked up the computer equipment donated by PCs For All in Vienna on 7/16. VM4U will be picking up the medical equipment as soon as it is ready. UAID-Direct and VM4U will be jointly conducting delivery mission in August. This project is sponsored by the Tullman Family Office network with 501c3 support from Elevate Ukraine and a private Vienna donor.

7/31 DIABETIC SUPPLY PROJECT UPDATE

Oleg, Project Manager, is working to provide diabetic orphans in Ukraine with glucose monitors and education on modern diabetes management. 24x Dexcom G6 transmitters and 8x Dexcom G7 three-month monitoring kits have been procured directly from Dexcom with support from Insulin for Life Austria. Additionally, 216 Dexcom G6 sensors are being donated by Insulin For Life USA and will be paired with procured transmitters. In total, this will allow us to make best use of available resources and provide 32 three-month monitoring kits for T1 Diabetics in Ukraine. For people in harder situations, 6 months of CGM monitoring may be provided. Donated sensors are being imported from Insulin for Life USA and delays at customs are expected. All supplies are expected to be received in August and the project completed shortly thereafter. Volunteer networks will be used to identify at-risk children and T1 Diabetics critical health situations in Ukraine to receive the kits. This project is sponsored by Tullman Family Office and 501c3 support from Elevate Ukraine.

7/31 UAID-DIRECT VAN SUPPLY PROJECT UPDATE

The van raised for UAID-Direct with support from VM4U and sponsorship from the Tullman Family Office has been out of service for 3 months. An unresolved maintenance issue has led the van to 2 repair shops in the UK and 3 more in Kyiv, including the official Ford mechanic. Basically the check engine light is on and no one can figure out why; the computer diagnostic is wrong, and the van is stuck in ‘limp home’ mode limiting the acceleration and top speed to 112 km/hr.

7/31 UAID-DIRECT MYKOLAIV ORPHANAGE PROJECT UPDATE

UAID-Direct continues a major renovation of a Ukrainian government run orphanage outside Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Many organizations are actively supporting the project including Kleine Herzen, Elevate Ukraine, Hela Flanko, Volya, Make-a-Difference Foundations, Operation Change, Pollination Project, Feed the World, and Plebeian Helpers.

7/31 IGOR SUPPORT CASE UPDATE

Igor is a blind refugee which VM4U has been supporting for a long time. Igor, and his brother, received an eviction notice from the landlord of their government sponsored, Caritas administered, apartment following a flood of the apartment above. Igor has considerable back problems resulting from a fall months ago, has trouble walking, and has significant pain. Igor and his brother were still in the apartment on the deadline and contacted VM4U for support. VM4U worked with Caritas to pause a rapidly escalating sequence of events. Caritas staff and a VM4U volunteer met with Igor and his brother to review their options and negotiated a 1 week extension. It was made clear to Igor and his brother that they will move to a new apartment, organized by Caritas, by Sept 7 or they will be blacklisted from further Austrian government support. The main problem is that the next Caritas provided apartment is in a different neighborhood, on the third floor, without an elevator which creates many challenges for Igor. The reality is that Caritas and Fonds Soziales Wien (FSW) (i.e., Austrian government) does not factor in refugee physical limitations, such as blindness or mobility, when assigning refugee accommodations. In summary, VM4U involvement likely prevented Caritas from carrying out a police involved forced eviction and kept Igor and his brother off the FSW blacklist and in the Austrian government social housing system.

7/31 SVETLANA SUPPORT CASE UPDATE

Svetlana’s 20 year old daughter is a bombing victim currently in a Baden hospital undergoing regular surgeries to her leg with more surgeries and rehabilitation expected for the coming years. Svatlana is currently in the government sponsored dormitory in Vienna. Nathan, Case Manager, and Irmgard are working to arrange a rent subsided apartment to support the family’s recovery. Currently the daughter effectively lives in the Baden hospital because there is nowhere else for her to go.


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