Friday, 24 February will see the first anniversary of the full-scale Russian military invasion of Ukraine. To this day, innocent Ukrainian civilians are continuing to suffer enormously from this ongoing tragedy, not least from shortages of food and other basic day-to-day items that we take for granted.
In the immediate aftermath of the invasion there were many offers of help. Henfield resident Celia Emmott was one of those who committed to doing something practical by coordinating the generosity of the Henfield community though the UK charity Hope and Aid Direct (HAAD).
Celia first came across the work of the charity HAAD at the end of the 1990s when friends talked about driving trucks of aid to Kosovo which was suffering because of the Balkan War. She was interested and quickly got involved, seeing first-hand the effects of the war and working with refugees in Calais and Greece.
HAAD are 100% volunteer led, UK based, humanitarian aid charity operating mainly in mainland Europe. They are a non-political, non-affiliated charity with a current focus on the situation in Ukraine. They identify vulnerable individuals and families through partner organisations in-country who help them to deliver the aid directly into the hands of those most in need. As there are no salaried staff, all goods and money donated provides aid to people who really need it.
Celia explains how HAAD first got involved in Ukraine: “One of the HAAD trustees went out
to Ukraine on the third week of the Ukrainian war and reported back the serious need and they continue to monitor the situation regularly. Collections of aid seemed essential until the big charities were up-and-running on the ground. I spoke to Father Hugh at Corpus Christi Church, and he said I could use the Church hall and so we started a collection of food, clothing and equipment.”
The process of sourcing, collecting, packaging and delivering aid is labour intensive and of course relies enormously on the generosity of volunteers and donations. Celia manages the Henfield drop-off centre for HAAD: donated items are taken to the Corpus Christi Church Hall and then packed-up by local volunteers into clearly labelled, recycled banana boxes. These boxes are then loaded into a truck and delivered to the HAAD warehouse in Essex. When we have enough appropriate aid this is loaded either ontoa HAAD truck or a commercial vehicle and this aid is then delivered to our partner organisations in Kyiv and neighbouring countries for onward delivery to the most affected areas. So far we have been involved in delivering 39 trucks of aid.
Nearly one year on and Celia is still coordinating the generosity of Henfield residents: “Having seen the aftermath of war in Kosovo I knew it would be more than a one-off trip. However, I felt that we were only helping in the early stages, and I didn’t think the war would still be going on a year later. It’s now clear that the larger charities can’t deal with all that’s required and so our aid is still vital.”
Over the past year Celia estimates that she has collect in excess of 600 large banana boxes and builders’ bags full of aid. The type of donations needed changes throughout the year; the most recent collection that left Henfield on 9 January included a generator, lots of Gaz stoves, torches, candles, sleeping bags and warm jackets.
In Henfield, Celia is supported by a number of individuals and organisations: “I’ve had great support from so many individuals, organisations, clubs and local businesses, the list is endless but especially: Father Hugh and parishioners of Corpus Christi Church; the B-P Guild who deliver the aid to our warehouse in Essex; Cornerweighs who’ve provided food at a very generous discount; Jeremy’s who saved banana boxes for us; R&H Pets who collected pet essentials; individuals from both near and far who help pack, donate pallets, put up posters, or print off labels for boxes; individuals who I’ll never meet but who drop-off wonderful donations in the hall. Thank you everyone for your help – you are amazing!”
Sarah Butler
Can you help?
The current HAAD focus for donations is dried / tinned food and toiletries. Please ensure that all items are within their sell by date - food will need at least a six-month shelf-life. More specifically they need:
Dried food including: flour and buckwheat (preferably big 20-25kg/ bags); pasta; rice; legumes (beans, chickpeas and lentils); black tea; instant soup; energy / chocolate bars.
Tinned food that can be eaten hot or cold including: fish; luncheon meat; pate; vegetables; beans and pulses; baby food.
Condiments including: sugar; oil (sunflower / rapeseed); marmalade.
Toiletries including: soap; shampoo; lice shampoo; shower gel; toothpaste; toothbrushes; sanitary pads; tampons; nappies; incontinence pads.
Other items including sleeping bags; washing powder; in-date medical items.
The next delivery will leave Henfield on Tuesday 21 March. You can drop donated items to Corpus Christi Church Hall on any Sunday afternoon in February between 12-4pm, or on Thursday 16th, Friday 17th and Saturday 18th March between 10am and 4pm.
If you want to help in other ways, Celia can be contacted at Celiaexplorer@myphone.coop. She would also love someone with marketing skills to help her with the design and distribution of promotional posters.
More information about Hope and Aid Direct (Registered Charity Number 1077146) including opportunities for volunteering, can be found at www.hopeandaiddirect.org.uk