Ukrainian
volunteers Roman Grymalyuk and Ninel Martyniuk, (who had to leave the city of
Kyiv after bombings by the Russian Federation, and found shelter and support in
Monchique) both began the process of soliciting donations of ambulances.
The project
received great support from: the President of the Parish Council of Monchique
José Gonçalo Nobre Duarte da Silva, the President of the Association of
Volunteer Firefighters of Monchique, Antônio Justino, and the Commander of the
Volunteer Fire Department of Monchique Rui Lopes. As a result, two ambulances
were donated to ORANTA.
With help
from Mr. Clemente Mitra, Secretary of the C.E. LBP - League of Portuguese Firefighters
also managed to get an ambulance donated by the Volunteer Firefighters
Association of Carrazedo Montenegro.
The project
also received support from Portuguese firm, Norauto, in inspecting vehicles and
changing tires, filters, etc. When every bureaucratic component for
transferring ownership of the ambulances to ORANTA in Portugal was completed,
the ambulances left on the 10th of November on a cross-country road trip for
Ukraine. The ambulances are now in service on the Ukrainian frontlines in the
north.
One of the
vehicles went to Loures, where it also carried 1,400 complete surgical pyjamas,
which were donated by Associação Help Together/I help Ukraine. The ambulances
were driven by five Ukrainian citizens living in the Algarve.
The "Ambulances
for Ukraine" project is now readying several more donated vehicles for
delivery to the south of Ukraine, hopefully by year-end. ORANTA volunteers are
also visiting approximately 20 different fire stations across Portugal to
solicit more donated ambulances, medical supplies to fill the ambulances and
donations from the community at large.
For more
information about ORANTA: https://oranta.pt/
or email oranta.pt@gmail.com.