At the heart of it
Humanitarian Aid @ MriyaAid
Winter is coming and Mriya Aid volunteers are working tirelessly to support Ukraine through this difficult and trying period.
Imagine your home and city cold and dark as winter approaches while an enemy state relentlessly attacks the energy infrastructure that keeps you alive. Imagine that enemy state systematically raping, torturing, killing and deporting people you love, and destroying their homes, schools and cities - and imagine then that there is no indication that the terror will cease any time soon. Now imagine that the elected officials and army defending you are being called terrorists by the enemy for disabling one of their many battle stations operated within the borders of your country.
As it has done consistently, Russia cynically plays the victim after its Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol was partly disabled by a massive drone attack. Russia expressed outrage at Ukraine defending its populace while Moscow blatantly disregards international laws and commits crimes against humanity on a massive scale.
In a lecture at Boston University a few days ago, Timothy Snyder described how “Russia’s war against Ukraine has been genocidal from the beginning” and that “if we don’t see it, the failure is ours”. You can listen here as Snyder effectively explains nine ways to identify and interpret Russia’s language of genocide: colonial, apologist, dehumanizing, narcissistic, escalatory, metaphysical, fascist, replacement, exceptionalist.
By understanding how to talk about genocide, we are reminded of the need to continuously act to support those suffering and the women and men defending civilian lives, particularly as the genocidal invasion continues into the winter.
While Mriya Aid donation drives tend to focus on collecting funds to purchase, ship and deliver tactical medical and non-lethal military equipment to frontline units, we also work to raise funds for air and sea shipping to deliver humanitarian aid. From February 24 to the present, Mriya Aid has sent well over $2,5M of in-kind donated medical equipment and humanitarian aid directly to Ukrainian hospitals and NGOs.
Join thousands of Mriya Aid supporters here to send aid to Ukraine. With no overhead costs, 100% of your donation is used to procure equipment and ship aid.
Today we add winter clothes and winter kit to the humanitarian aid that Mriya Aid gets to those who need it most. We are very proud to have worked with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in October to send 8600 lbs of aid, much of it going to children affected by the war. It was transported to Ukraine on the returning chartered flight that brought Ukrainians seeking shelter to St. John's, Newfoundland.
Our next charter plane shipment will include vital medical supplies that Mriya Aid volunteer Carl and his Fire Fighters without Borders team have collected, while heavier equipment that is much needed by Ukriane in coming months is being sent by sea container to include hospital equipment, water pumps, and more winter clothing.
Ukrainian volunteers working directly on the front and in high-need underserviced areas of Ukraine contact Mriya Aid once the aid is in their hands. Although this photo is from May and from western Ukraine, it gives you an idea of photos we receive from our partners in Ukraine.
Depending on the location and role of the person receiving the aid, we often have to protect their identity by various means. Mriya Aid works with vetted individuals and NGOs known to our volunteers personally. Many of them help with logistics and legalities required to get aid quickly across borders and within Ukraine.
Gathering, packing, and focusing on all aspects of logistics to ship, deliver and document in-kind donations of humanitarian aid, hospital equipment, firefighting gear and explosive ordnance disposal gear for demining ends in successful deliveries only through trustworthy volunteers at every point along the logistics chain. Our team also communicates with other NGOs and Ukrainian volunteers to ensure that any potential or known problematic situation, individual or organization is avoided.
Our tireless volunteers are the beating heart of Mriya Aid and your support gets to the heart of the work they do. Ukrainian volunteers provide feedback regularly to acknowledge the vast amounts of in-kind donations that are collected by Mriya Aid volunteers and the geneous funds provided by Mriya Aid supporters to ship the aid.
Ensuring personal oversight of delivery and adapting to changing needs helps ensure that aid shipments don’t end up sitting in a central warehouse. Mriya Aid volunteers work hard to ensure that each one of your donated dollars goes further and helps provide the hope and support necessary for Ukrainian victory so that the genocide stops and the perpetrators are brought to justice.
In an interview published by Ukrainska Pravda on October 30, Mriya Aid’s Melanie Lake tells Ukrainian journalist Anastasiya Ringis that, “Ukraine has become a leading expert in the fight against Russia, in opposing Russian forces, and in defending against Russian invasion”. We are proud to add that, with your help and trust in our expertise and dedication, Mriya Aid has become a leading aid organization responding to the needs of civilian Ukrainians and those defending them.
Help Ukraine save civilians and defenders via MriyaAid.org
Mriya Aid is a volunteer-based Not-for-Profit sending non-lethal military and medical aid to Ukraine. Mriya Aid is a network of experts dedicated to helping Ukraine. It secures and sends medical supplies, non-lethal military equipment, and humanitarian aid to the frontlines where it's most needed.
See the newest Mriya Aid aid drives, deliveries and activities @ twitter.com/MriyaAid
Subscribe to and share Mriya Aid’s informative weekly newsletter with friends!