3/25, 3/26, 3/27 Recaps
This weekend four large projects were completed in addition to normal van operations. An interruption of the bus operations between the Przemysl, Poland and Korczowo, Poland Refugee Centers and Vienna has occurred which we are urgently working to resume.
Puszczkowo Supply Project – Anthony, Project Manager
Filip, Councilman of the City of Pusczckowo, Poland, contacted the VM4U requesting urgent assistance. 50 Children and 30 women who have been place temporarily in a sport hall and privet houses. This group provided a list of urgently needed supplies (refrigerator, washing machines, kitchen utensils, etc.) in order to make it a sustainable place for the refugees to live. Anthony organised donors to provide the materials which he staged in his garage. Once all the materials were collected, a 3.5 ton cargo van team, Kaylyn and Nathan, picked up the supplies from Anthony’s garage in Vienna on 3/25 and delivered them to Filip in Puszczkowo on 3/26.
Orphanage Rescue Project – Nina, Project Manager
On 3/25-26, 67 orphans from 3 months- 7 years old (along with 28 carers + their 15 children) were moved from the Polish border to Burgauberg-Neudauberg (Burgenland). This was achieved working closely with Kleine Herzen, the Red Cross, First Aid First Hand, Save Ukraine and the Austrian government. VM4U coordinated 2 buses, logistical support, and volunteers.
At-Risk Persons Rescue Project – Nina, Project Manager
On 3/26-27, 43 at-risk mothers and their children were moved from the Polish border to Gaming. This was achieved working closely with Kleine Herzen, the Red Cross, First Aid First Hand, Save Ukraine and the Austrian government. VM4U coordinated 1 bus, logistical support and volunteers.
Ternopil Orpahange Supply Project – Ania, Project Manager
An Orphanage in Ternopil, Ukraine was partially damaged and its occupants (~70 orphans and caregivers) are have taken shelter in a nearby basement. This group provided a list of urgently needed supplies. In partnership with a group of advocates for Ukraine associated with Texas A&M University (USA), Ania organised donations of the requested items which were transported to the Ukrainian border on 3/27 using a van provided by First Hand First Aid.
Routine Operations
On 3/25, 1 passenger van team, David and Felix, departed Vienna and delivered donations from St. Barbara’s Church to the Polish-Ukrainian border. From the Przemsyl, Poland Refugee Ceneter, the team transported 1 woman to her husband in Vienna and 1 mother+4 children to a volunteer accommodation in Vienna, hosted by Robert. An additional 3.5 ton cargo van team, Kaylyn and Nathan, was in the field as part of the aforementioned Puszczkowo Supply Project. The van was generously provided by the First Aid First Hand organisation.
On 3/26, 1 car team, Katharina and Mati, departed Vienna for the Vysne Nemecke /Uzhhorod Slavic-Ukrainian border. En route, they delivered purchased supplies (donated by the drivers) to the Michalovce Refugee Center. At the border crossing, the team transported a teenage male from his mother at the border to a pre-arranged host family at Klosterneubrug (north of Vienna). Chain of custody procedures, required by the Solvakian authorities and involving VM4U drivers, were part of the process related to the transport of an un-escorted minor.
On 3/27, 1 passenger van team, Ania, Katherine, and Marcus (from First Aid First Hand) was in the field as part of the aforementioned Ternopil Orphanage Supply Project. After which, the van team made a pre-arranged pickup of a family of 3 at Medyke and transported them to volunteer accommodations in Vienna. Roxy, a therapist specialising in crisis and trauma therapy, supported the van team with regards to one child having special needs. The van was generously supplied by the First Aid First Hand organisation.
