Note from Team Veganosaurus
At current the UK Government advises against all travel into Ukraine as the country is under martial law and the opportunity to leave the country safely may disappear quickly. We do not advise against travel to or across any of the Ukrainian borders at present.
Як ви можете допомогти? If you wish to support Ukraine, there are several options to do so:
- London Humanitarian Aid – advice on what to donate and where to drop off in the London area (English and Ukrainian).
- British Red Cross – financial donations only (English only).
- Disasters Emergency Committee – financial donations only, will be matched to £25 million by the UK government (English only).
- Medical Aid Ukraine North East – Financial donations, medical aid donations, NHS Trust, GP, dentist, pharmacy, private clinic or medical supplier collection can be organised if needed (English and Ukrainian).
What to Donate/ Що пожертвувати
| List of priority needs | Пріорітетний список |
|---|---|
| Medicines | Медикаменти |
| First aid medical kits (I-FAK only) | Медичні засоби першої допомоги (тільки I-FAK) |
| Antiseptics | Антисептики |
| Haemostatic gauzes | Кровоспинні марлі |
| Bandages | Бандажі |
| Medical gloves (Non-sterile) | Медичні рукавички (не стерильні) |
| Non-woven adhesive plaster | Лейкопластир на нетканій основі |
| Scissors for cutting clothes and shoes | Ножиці для розрізання одягу і взуття |
| Waterproof marker (blue) | Маркер водостійкий для нанесення інформації синього кольору |
| Other humanitarian aid | Інші гуманітрані товари |
| Diapers | Підгузки |
| Wet wipes | Вологі серветки |
| Sleeping bags | Спальні мішки |
| Charging cords | Зарядні шнури |
| Flashlights (Torches) | Ліхтарі |
| Non-perishable/dry/canned food/sweets/protein bars | Продукти з довгим терміном придатності/сухі продукита консерви/солодощі/protein bars |
| Pet food | Їжа для тварин |
As a dinosaur, I am lucky to have friends based all over the world. This has many perks as I often travel off the beaten path to visit them. Many of my friends across Eastern Europe have been affected both directly and indirectly. At first, I chose the route of denial, I thought this is a huge joke and it will stop soon. The started the disappearances, Russian friends lost contact, then the blocks on social media started. To this day I am still unsure whether my friends are alive and safe. Gratitude cannot sum up how happy I am to know all of my Ukrainian friends are alive and, in an area, where they are safe. Team Veganosaurus remains neutral towards this conflict and would help to send aide to any country requiring it. Our focus is on helping the humans, not pointing the finger to blame or spread hate.
Reality kicked in on 23rd April 2022, when the humans and I should have been celebrating Orthodox Easter. Phone calls were drowned out by the sound of air raid sirens, wishing a happy easter seemed ironic. I was horrified to realise how long my furry blue brain had ignored the conflict for. Instead of celebrating I spent the day reflecting and hiding away, contemplating how I could help. Money wasn’t the answer, nor was taking in a family, adventursaurus wages sadly don’t pay well enough. Then I found the answer. People were kind enough to donate medical supplies to the place my photographer works at the beginning of the pandemic. Fortunately, most of the equipment wasn’t required. However, it had been condemned to the trash pile but none of the humans had found the time to remove it.
My collection was initially going to be small enough to fit in my backpack. The humans were so kind it turned out my backpack was far too small. Companies and many humans donated medical supplies and boxes. Team Veganosaurus spent weeks collecting, organising and packing boxes. I was in charge of finding the end of the cellotape – a job I never want to do again.
My favourite part of the entire journey was learning Ukrainian, a language I never envisioned learning. Though my pronunciation is terrible and let’s not start with the grammar. Ukrainian people were more than happy to check my spellings, so I didn’t accidentally write something silly on a box.
The humans chose to work with Medical Aid Ukraine North East as our collection became so big, we were no longer able to transport it without assistance. They are a great company to work with all drop offs being simple and safe.
Our boxes are now happily riding in a van across Europe to one of several destinations. I will not reveal them for safety reasons. My photographer and I have been overjoyed to see several vans of donations heading east whilst we road trip across Eastern Europe. We are staying away from any of the affected areas as advised by Polish, British and Slovakian governments.
з бригада Veganosaurus – Дуже дякую, Слава Україні!
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Rex the Veganosaurus 