Gift of the Givers to provide humanitarian assistance in Ukraine

• Gift of the Givers will be distributing food to people affected by the war in Ukraine.
• This followed private discussions and a final decision to go ahead. 
• It will run alongside other relief work in Malawi and Somalia, as well as repairs to public health facilities in SA.

Gift of the Givers announced that it would provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine. 

In a statement on Saturday, the charity said it would draw on its experience in other war-torn regions, like Afghanistan and Syria.  

"The intervention will be in two parts: provide emergency medical and non-medical assistance to frontline facilities and internally displaced civilians inside Ukraine; and fund the repatriation of South African students wanting to return home, some prefer staying on in Europe," the organisation said. 

This followed a "very private" meeting with representatives from Slovakia, Romania, the Ukraine Health Ministry, Croatia, one of the chief coordinators of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, a doctor in Kyiv, and surgeons from the USA and Europe.

"Following that important session, we received a call from the Ukraine aid coordinator late last night for guidance on various issues," it said.

"Early this morning, we sent a blueprint on how to manage the humanitarian situation decisively in Ukraine, having faced an almost identical situation in Syria, where our South African team set up the Ar-Rahma Hospital in the war zone."

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The organisation said arrangements had been made to buy items in Europe and Ukraine, while supplies from South Africa will be sent on scheduled flights. 

The charity is in talks with pharmaceutical companies, medical aid societies and corporate companies, who want to support the initiative. 

The Ukraine Association of South Africa also contacted the organisation, to assist in raising funds. 

"A South African family (a Ukrainian wife) in Ukraine are currently distributing aid on our behalf. We have funded the first delivery today, some distance from Ivano-Frankivsk. Aid will also be sent to Kharkiv."

This will be in addition to the organisation's other work, which includes providing food in Somalia and Malawi, as well as repairs to public facilities, such as the Northdale Hospital, in Pietermaritzburg.