New Van For Vans Without Borders

Our van has unfortunately been severely damaged in a car crash near Kharkiv after we collided with a car that was fleeing bombing in the area. Despite it being a freak accident (no party was to blame) we paid for the refugee family's car repairs as we felt we had a moral obligation to help them, and wanted to ensure they were able to successfully leave the area with a vehicle.

We now however have the issue that our flagship van is extremely damaged and needs vital repairs. We do not currently have the funds to fix it but need to do so before our next mission.

Repairs are estimated to cost between £2000-3000.

It's vital we get our van back on the road as it can hold and transport up to 1.5 tonnes of aid at a time making it extremely important in our humanitarian operations.

Vans Without Borders (powered by your generosity) have helped thousands of desperate and vulnerable Ukrainians who have become impoverished as a result of Russian aggression.

Alongside directly supporting those in areas devastated by Russia, we have also teamed up with a variety of organisations that support individuals ranging from children in hospices, to groups that support children with Down syndrome, and also retirement homes who have been left without assistance as a result of the conflict.

In addition to the van repairs, we also need to purchase a support vehicle for our team as the weather takes a turn for the worse in Ukraine. It is imperative that we reach isolated or stranded Ukrainian communities within the red zones. These are often in areas that are under heavy bombardment or have just been liberated, meaning the roads have been destroyed or severely damaged.

In some areas the roads are dirt tracks, which the Autumn rain has turned into a bog, further preventing essential supplies from reaching these communities.

This creates logistical challenges - putting off other aid organisations - as we must travel "off-road" to reach these people and ensure they don't starve. With the seasonal poor weather (torrential rain) throughout Ukraine, this has meant that off-roading has become impossible for normal vehicles, which we discovered first-hand when one of our vehicles became stuck in the mud and had to be towed out. We therefore must expand our fleet and purchase a 4x4 vehicle which can act as a support vehicle for the team.

We also need to purchase Winter tyres for our van so it can survive in these conditions.

Any funds you give will directly be spent on purchasing this transport to ensure we can continue our operation.

Since launching, our life-saving work has been featured in the Telegraph, the Sun, the BBC, on GB News, the Express and in Portsmouth News, as well as other local papers.