They arrived in Ukraine

On the very last day of February, I was at the border in Siret/Romania. It was very cold and I was waiting in front of the gates to the refugee center. I was upset that Ukrainians without a passport had been queuing for hours without being given clear information. My phone kept ringing.

Friends of my friends in Ukraine kept asking me for a generator or some external batteries; for blankets and mattresses. Several calls told me about an Ukrainian village that had become a refugee camp overnight. They had urgent needs. Without paper and pencil, I was making a desperate effort to remember items being asked for. Finally, after some insistence, I received a list: they needed low power generators, sleeping bags and thick clothes, but also food.

As the hours passed, it was clear that not all of it would fit in one small car, and that we would have to find a van with as much space as possible.

I had never done humanitarian transports before. I had no idea what international transport and logistics meant in general. But we were being asked for supplies in increasing quantities. Plus, there was only one humanitarian corridor open: from Siret to Chernivtsi. On the other side of the country.

I started calling colleagues from NGOs to find out what documents are needed and what the chances were of opening a new corridor in the western part of the country. I reached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). That’s how I realized we didn’t have time to wait for a new green corridor. It could have taken days but we only had hours.

When the MFA told us that it would be easier to get support from the Ukrainian side if we had a large truck, we knew we had to get a large truck and brave drivers. It’s just that when we called transport companies, we were politely refused. Yet, we also refused to give up.

We were inspired by our friend Gabi from Hosman, who since the beginning of the war filled her car with everything she had around the house and hurried to the border. She drove alone for hours and crossed the border into a war-torn country. And she did her best to help her friends in the Longo Maï cooperative. If Gabi alone could help them, I was convinced that we would succeed in spite of any difficulties.

From the moment we decided to send a truck to Ukraine, everything became even more difficult. Every time I tried to take a break, a stopwatch came to mind, like a bomb, telling me I had less and less time. And then I heard on the radio about new cities bombed in Ukraine.

The Declic team turned into a mini command: not for war – but for peace. We made countless calls and many wonderful people came to our support. The Hosman Durabil team, a community organization from a beautiful and quiet village in the Sibiu county, became the soul of the action. Marie was updating our lists of necessary products and Gabi kept telling us, on the spot from Ukraine, how her friends were organized. The SNK (Seneca) team, as well as colleagues from the Declic team, turned into a purchasing office. We bought new and high quality products, from quilts to cans and inflatable mattresses. I asked for offers; compared them and placed firm orders. As Declic members kept donating, we started paying bills. That fire, that fire of hope continued. Thousands and thousands of euros turned into pallets with generators, fuel canisters, non-perishable food and thick blankets.

At the same time, I was desperately looking for transport. And for drivers; both brave and with a valid passport. I blew-up my phone; tried dozens of options. In the end, a company from Cluj said yes. The director confirmed that two trucks are available and that everything is free of charge. Thus began the discussion on customs procedures and transport safety. After I clarified this part, came the day of our departure: Tuesday, March 8, in the early hours of the morning. I realized that in such a short time I had gone from a small car to 2 large trucks filled to their brim.

We were not just a little surprised when once the company from Cluj confirmed the trucks, another carrier called to give us another truck. And a mutual friend found a brave driver with a valid passport to drive this truck to Ukraine. Also free. Impressed by all this solidarity, we decided to fill this third truck as well. We were helped by the Tășuleasa Social NGO who had just received pallets with supplies from a partner organization in Germany. This third truck was entirely due to their effort. Heavy pallets with clothes, diapers and baby food, thick blankets, but also first aid kits. Very valuable products that were on the list of those in Ukraine.

I was also very lucky with the storage space. I received free access to a warehouse in Cluj where I was able to unload the goods over the weekend. And another distributor of electronic products allowed us to use his logistics center for the final loading of the trucks. Numerous Declic and Rescue 4×4 volunteers helped load and organize the pallets. Cristian, one of the volunteers, came all the way from Bucharest to help.

Tuesday morning arrived and we left with our mini convoy of three trucks. In our windscreen a small sign reading “Humanitarian Transport – Гуманітарна допомога” revealed the cargo. Before we set off, I didn’t communicate that we were going to Hust (Khust) in Ukraine. We feared for the safety of the transport and drivers; not knowing what was happening across the border.

At the border everything went smooth due to our prior communication with the state authorities. And Shaun came to our help: an American who had moved to Romania; a Ukrainian speaker and a lover of old fiddle music. He translated for the Ukrainian customs officers; accompanied the trucks and guided us to Hust. I can’t wait to see him in concert again under his artist name ‘Jean Americanu.’

We arrived at Hust, with its narrow, crowded streets. Everything was unloaded in an old hall recently renovated on the inside. Every item was recorded, sorted and some of the products were directly loaded into mini buses and taken to gyms, schools and kindergartens that had transformed into dorms.

Towards evening, the trucks and Shaun returned to Romania. I will never be able to fully thank the drivers – wonderful people for whom the desire to help was greater than fear.

Roxana and I stayed in Ukraine with friends for the evening. They did not let us go, they wanted to spend time together; to show us the routes on which the food and all other things will reach the bombed cities. They wanted us to meet those who risked their lives by carrying the supplies to those in need.

We were able to help, hand in hand, with the contribution of 2,300 Declic members. And there was so much unexpected help including from a group of skiers who bought and donated warm clothes. Last but not least, it was important to have the support of colleagues from the ‘Tășuleasa Social’ NGO, but also of many others.

I’m back home now. The list of products needed in Ukraine is getting longer by the hour. And my heart wont let me tell them that we can not come again; that we already spent what we received in donations, that we no longer have the money to buy what they need. Some, such as tourniquets and 350ml blood bags, are already very difficult to find and at much higher prices. We will do everything possible to find everything, but we are worried that we will not have what to pay for the next delivery. If you can still donate a small amount, I invite you to do so. With another 50 lei from 2,000 Declic members like you we can fill another truck that is really needed, wished-for and awaited.

Can you contribute?

In Solidarity with Ukraine,
Tudor and the Declic team