UMCOR collaborating to relieve the suffering of Ukrainians
The United Methodist Committee on Relief, a Texas-based humanitarian organization focused on Ukraine and Ohio Health are collaborating to send 47,895 pounds of medical supplies and equipment worth $935,000 to three hospitals in Kyiv, Ukraine.
AEC Parcel Services is handling transport of the supplies, which are being sent in three shipments.
The effort was put together by the Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation, headquartered in North Zulch, Texas, which has links to health facilities in Ukraine. UMCOR is paying specific costs, including transportation, of approximately $160,000. Ohio Health, a not-for-profit, charitable, health care ministry of The United Methodist Church, donated the supplies through a medical surplus program. UMCOR put the foundation in touch with Ohio Health and opened the door to the United Nation’s Logistics Cluster to move the supplies into Ukraine after they arrived in Poland from the U.S. via chartered jet.
The first shipment arrived at the State Ukrainian Health Ministry Heart Institute in Kyiv on April 14. The second shipment was shared between the Heart Institute, the Center for Pediatric Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery Clinic for Children and the National Specialized Children’s Hospital, which is the nation’s largest children’s hospital, on April 20. The third shipment is scheduled to follow soon, according to Roland Fernandes, general secretary of UMCOR and its parent organization, Global Ministries.
“UMCOR is pleased to facilitate both the procurement and the transportation of essential medical supplies to war-torn Ukraine,” Fernandes said. “We multiply our own efforts and the generosity of our contributors when we engage in creative service partnerships.”
“This is the biggest shipment we have ever had,” said Dr. Vitaly Demyanchuk, deputy director of the State Ukrainian Health Ministry Heart Institute in Kyiv. “Every box contains useful supplies that give us the possibility of providing high quality medical care to our patients, for wounded individuals and others in our area. We thank all of the American people. Together we are strong.”
Playing a vital role in the transport of these supplies is AEC Parcel Services, a Chicago-based shipping company. AEC Parcel’s long-established connections with key points and customs agencies on the Ukrainian border has made them one of the few shipping companies still able to deliver regular parcels and aid from the U.S. and Canada. When war broke out, AEC partnered with several international nonprofits to provide greatly reduced overseas shipping costs to Ukraine and other affected areas.
Items in the shipments include wound care/triage supplies, surgical kits and masks, examination gloves, mask respirators, varieties of hospital gowns, stethoscopes, sterile containers and basic medicine.
To learn more about UMCOR’s continued efforts to offer immediate relief and long-term recovery for the war in Ukraine: https://umcmission.org/advance-project/982450.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Adrii Maxymenko