Kiwi charity Kiwi KARE has shipped 16 ambulances to Ukraine to deliver aid and evacuate the injured.
The charity’s response to Ukraine’s call for more ambulances follows reports of continued attacks since the Ukraine-Russia war began in 2022.
The decommissioned Hato Hone St John ambulances are now in Kyiv.
They will be serviced before being put to use to support Ukraine on the front lines, says Kiwi KARE director Tenby Powell (pictured).
He says the emergency vehicles are vital to helping Ukraine in the war.
“Since the start of the invasion in February 2022, more than 800 Ukrainian hospitals and medical centres have been attacked by Russian artillery, drones and missiles, with 150 completely destroyed.”
Kiwi KARE vital support
This is the second ambulance fleet Kiwi KARE has sent to Ukraine. Exactly a year ago it sent seven ambulances filled with medical supplies to the war-damaged country.
So far the charity has provided 30 vehicles to the Ukraine war effort. These are being used to deliver medical and humanitarian aid and transport refugees in addition to evacuating the sick and injured.
They’re also being used to reach civilians in the ongoing war’s red zone areas.
“We need all the help we can get and we are very grateful to the many New Zealanders who have generously supported Kiwi KARE,” Powell says.
He says the charity is also making stoves and water heaters for residents.
They’re fashioning them from electrical water boilers that are collected from across Ukraine.
“To date, we have distributed over 2500 stoves to families in desperate need,” he says.
“Ukrainian fabricators strip and re-weld the recycled cylinders and we distribute them to red zone areas where power and water infrastructure has been completely destroyed.”
Ukrainian troops launched a surprise attack into Russian border territory last Tuesday. They forced Russia to evacuate residents from regions near the border.
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