Edinburgh Direct Aid International is embarking on what we think is a world first…… Digital Direct Aid When our volunteer David Hamilton was in Kharkiv earlier this year he met local Ukrainian Member of Parliament, Maria Mezentseva MP. Maria also runs a charity in Kharkiv and explained the challenge that thousands of Internally Displaced children… Read More »
In February 2023, David Neely of Synergy Financial Planning contacted me to offer Edinburgh Direct Aid a Mobile office, which he no longer required. He sent through some photographs that showed the vehicle was beautifully fitted out and would be a facility that would be of immense value to organisations in Ukraine. Fellow Edinburgh Direct… Read More »
The sign in Kharkiv’s Freedom Square told us it was Day 448 of the Ukraine War and my third trip to the country in that time. I was on the border for the initial refugee crisis, in West Ukraine for the food and fuel shortages of Summer 2022. I have be a volunteer with Scotland’s… Read More »
Background This was my Second Humanitarian Trip to Ukraine. My first had been to the Poland/ Ukraine border and Medijka where we witnessed thousands of refugees fleeing their country for the safety of the West. That was 2 months ago, a time when Russian Forces were advancing towards Kyiv and cities like Kharkiv were being… Read More »
David Hamilton started with EDA nearly 30 years ago as a driver in Bosnia. He is on the management committee of the charity and a serving police officer Here he blogs about his experience on his EDA recce into Poland. The purpose of this trip was to do gather information and do a recce to… Read More »
You forget how big a country Poland is- until you drive across it! Krakow was a 3 hour drive and we got their mid morning to see how the cities were “absorbing” the refugees. In Krakow, the municipality was clearly coordinating efforts and the shopping centre was doubling up as a hub. Charites were there… Read More »