APRIL 22 UPDATE: WE PURCHASED A VW TRANSPORTER VAN IN APRIL, IT WAS SERVICED, UPGRADED AND DELIVERED TO THE FRONTLINE. WE'VE ALSO EQIPPED THE VAN WITH 3 STRETCHERS AND TACTICAL MEDICAL KIT.

OCTOBER 22 UPDATE: WE ARE URGENTLY LOOKING FOR DONATIONS TO BUY ANOTHER VAN (OR AN AMBULANCE IF WE CAN AFFORD IT) FOR THE MEDICAL/EVACUATIONS TEAM OF BRIGADE 53.

I’m Ukrainian and I’m trying to help my friends and family who are being attacked by Russia. All Ukrainians around the world are united in an effort to help those on the frontline defending our country and our democracy.

I’ve been raising money privately via friends and family and we sent the first shipment of medical supplies and protective gear on the 4th of March. Our next shipment included a van to help military personnel at the frontlines -- thank you for all your donatins and shares!

Now (12/Oct/22) we have received an urgent request from medical personnel working on the frontline (Donetsk Region). To deliver their services to wounded soldiers, they lack a vehicle. We now aim to purchase an ambulance or an ideally and armoured truck / cit van that can be transformed into an ambulance.

It's an urgent matter, so we'll have to evaluate the situation at the start of November, if we cannot afford an ambulance vehicle, we'll purchase a van as we did in April and upgrade it ourselves at our friendly garage in Kyiv.

Supporting this cause will allow medical professionals and evacuation teams on the front lines to deliver help and save lives while putting theirs in less danger.

If we have excess funds accumulated after this campaign finishes, they will be used to purchase equipment and medical supplies for the team, including protective gear, long range radios, medical kits, celox, and stretchers.

Your little contribution today can save a life tomorrow – that of wounded soldiers, civilians and of medics who are risking their lives to save others! Please help us collect the target £10,000 by November 12.

My Story:

My name is Iryna, I’m a fashion designer based in Birmingham. I was born in Zaporizhzhya, I finished school in Kyiv and studied at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. I did my master's at The University of Birmingham Business School.

Now I live in the UK, however, a lot of my friends and direct family members are suffering all over Ukraine. My parents were born in Mariupol, so I have a lot of relatives there. On the 22nd of March we were told that my grandma Lida was killed by the Russians in Mariupol. We haven‘t heard directly from my grandparents since the 1st of March, and the devastating news about my Babushka has been delivered to us by a person who managed to evacuate from Mariupol. My grandad has been missing for 1.5 months, but we managed to evacuate him from Mariupol on the 27th of September. He had to go through Russian filtration camps.

In June 2022 I set up a community association called Forever Lida to honour my grandmother Lida, who was killed in March in Mariupol.

Instagram: @forever.Lida.ua

Website: www.foreverlida.com

Please help and share - together we can help our courageous friends in Ukraine. Every donation makes a difference!