Field Trips to Ukraine
You don’t need any experience, just 100% commitment to get involved in our local initiatives
Introduction
Since the beginning of the war - 24th of February 2022 - we have completed four missions to Ukraine. Each trip is different, as the projects and beneficiaries are. We respond to the current needs, and we have seen that changing. First, we saw thousands of inner refugees, leaving their homes and moving to the East. We helped several humanitarian centers with food, blankets, and shelving systems. We set up play areas at short-term accommodations.
We are a small group of people, who can't fulfill every wish. But we try our best to help our friends and partners we have met over the years in Ukraine. And this list of friends is growing, with each new project. If you join us, you get a glimpse of the situation people facing. And save lives!
Nearly 3 years after the first attacks, the need is greater than ever. Local communities need help to keep their spirits up and give work to local people who are still there. They are asking us to help their sons and daughters fighting on the front. Whether it'll be drones, warm clothing, home-cooked meals, or trucks to save lives. They are asking us to help with the upkeep of the generators, so the kids can go to school. They need help with rehabilitation equipment so they can start helping injured soldiers back to the community. Mental health aid and rebuilding is going to be next, we assume. We saw what this war could do to the locals, coming back broken from the zero line.
Frequently asked questions
KEY Daily programs:
Departure from Budapest / Hungary and travel to Ukraine
Day at the Early Prevention Center of the Ukrainian Maltese Charity Service of Beregszasz
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7.00 AM
Minibus driver to pick up the Direct Aid international team from the hotel reception
10.30 -11.00 AM
Border crossing at Beregszász (Berehove in Ukrainan)
11.30 AM-5.00 PM
On arrival: Sandwich / light lunch
Day at the Early Intervention Center of the Maltese Charity Services.
Direct Aid has raised funds to upgrade the facility, aiming to heal children from a very young age. The local team has been working on the facility for the last 3 weeks. Work included painting the walls, adding new wooden paneling new light fixtures, and major sorting, clearing, and organizing. We have come up with the interior design plans for the space, involving the entire training and management. Once it was agreed upon, we completed the shopping for the needed furniture and tools and organized the transport from Hungary to Ukraine. The Maltese Charity Services of Hungary has been a key transport partner.
On this day, we will be working together with the local team, and volunteers from the neighboring towns. We hope to see parents joining to this task.
THE CENTER BEFORE:
DESIGN PLANS OF THE CHANGE (Reception, Waiting area, Children's Corner, Action Room, Individual therapy room)
5PM -6PM OFFICIAL HANDOVER
We are expecting the "JURY" to come and take over the place after 5 pm. That means children will run around, play with the new toys, and watch a movie on the main room's large screen.
Of course, this space will be used for treatments and therapies in the future, so it's a special day to have fun. Serious work continues on Monday when we leave.
We are truly grateful to János Makuk, the Director of the Maltese Charity Services of Berehove, Ukraine, to respond so quickly to the task, and overviewed the renovation jobs. Can't wait to see the fully finished place and kids running around.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Vynohradive
Dinner at the hotel
KEY Daily programs:
Departure from Vynohradive Hotel picked up by the Humanitarian Center's Minibus
Day with the City of Vynohradive Military Administration, Handover of donated trucks and minibusses to homecoming soldiers. Program hosted by the 101st Battalion of Zakarpattia Oblast.
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8.00.-9.00 AM (Local Kyiv time)
Breakfast at the hotel
Lyudmila Svoreny, the Head of the local Humanitarian Center is to pick us up from the hotel and drive to their base.
10.00 AM Humanitarian Aid Center Vynohradive
We will be working with the local volunteers to fill up trucks with supplies at the volunteer base. We expect all 7 vehicles to be fully ready, serviced, painted to the requested color, and ready for the long road back to the zero line.
We will prepare our first 30 packs for ladies, serving as soldiers. Their pack includes specially designed military uniforms by a charity group called "Arm Women Now".
At the volunteer center, we are to meet the homecoming soldiers.
We invited 7 battalions - all from local families - to tell us their needs, and how we can help them to fight against their enemy, and save their lives. The list included: pickup trucks, to transport supplies, minibuses to carry people, generators, Internet access, extra supplies of uniforms, long shelf life home cooked meals, and medical supplies. All this was arranged by the head of the volunteer base, Lyudmilla, and her team, ready for us to come and send it off with the heroes.
Meeting the Hungarian charity Transcarpathian Dragon Supply and Balázs Trautmann. He will be joining us and offered to join our team and drive with us for the next 3 days. His organization also joining the upgrade of the set the soldiers are taking home: Generators and Ecoflows are added to all 7 sets.
12:30 AM
Laying flowers at the Remembrance wall of the fallen heroes of Vynohradiv, and paying our respect to the city and it's heroes. (Address: Myru Square 5)
This program is hosted by Vasyl Teslychko Deputy Chairman of the Vynohradiv City Council 1.00. PM
Test drive of the pickups, each Direct Aid visitor is to join a homecoming team and drive to the town of Beregovo. (30 min) to the training ground of the 101st brigade (photos below from previous trip)
2.00. PM 101st Territorial Defense Brigade
Host of the day: Anatoly Poloskov - TVO commander of military unit 7125 of the 101st brigade
We are invited to the training group (undisclosed location) to find out more about the unit.
Units of the brigade served in defense of Popasna in April, then defended Hirske, Serhiivka, Volodymyrivka[3], and Spirne.[4] Some troops from the brigade were serving in Sumy Oblast and Kharkiv Oblast in December 2022.
The program includes: Meeting with the leadership of the military unit and handover of all 7 cars to the returning soldiers. (Not just the 101, but the others as well).
We invited the Governor, Myroslav Biletskyi to join us for this part of the program.
2.30. PM
Outdoor LUNCH with the soldiers Sharing stories of soldiers about their service, presentation of thanks from all sides
More in the afternoon: learn about rescue services, and the effects of exploding grenades, and hear more about how to clean an area of mines. This is linked to our current fundraising activity of helping regional hospitals to set up rehabilitation clinics.
6.00. PM
Dinner at the restaurant "Zhayvoronok" in Beregovo
068 240 0007
Link to the Google Map directions of the Restaurant here.
ACCOMMODATION: MUNKACHEVO city (TBC)
KEY Daily programs:
- Day with the Rehabilitation units (Munkachevo, Uzzhorod),
- "Acting therapist for a day",
- An official statement by Direct Aid to commit to supporting the regional rehabilitation units of Zakarpattia Oblast, with the Governor, W, Myroslav Biletskyi at the first rehab unit we supplied with pieces of equipment.
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8.00.-8.40 AM (Local Kyiv time)
Breakfast at the hotel
9.00 AM -10.00 AM
Munkachevo City Clinic
Our recent fundraising aim was to help the injured soldiers. Such service is very much needed, as thousands of men return with serious effects of the war. Helping them to regain their strength, their ability to walk, or to speak.
Munkacheco City Clinic is one of the 8 cities of Zakarpattia asking for our help to create a similar rehabilitation unit as we have already helped in Uzzhorod. (Smaller scale). This short visit is about finding more out about their work.
10.10 AM -11. 00 AM
Military Hospital of Munkachevo city
This hospital is under the governance of the Ministry of Defense. They treat soldiers with all sorts of injuries and problems. This unit had a major makeover and a very nice exercise - training and healing base. Good experience to see the difference.
They asked for a relatively small help of 5 laptops, to upgrade their internal system, and also to help them contact to the American team that installed the 3D prothetic printer at the Uzshhorod Clinic we equipped. This morning we will be jointly visiting the hospital with the 3D printer project team.
12.00. AM Regional Clinic of Uzzhorod
Host of the day: Dr Jurij Jacina Director
In 2024 Summer Direct Aid has agreed to become a partner of the Regional Military Administration of Zakarpattia Oblast and help with sourcing rehabilitation equipment for the largest regional-level hospital in the area. The government had invested in the actual renovation work. Our partner to source the equipment was: GER3, a nonprofit organization, and registered charity both in the USA and Ukraine. We are here to have first-hand experience of how the new wing works.
We will be divided into 4 groups, with 4 translators. Each small team will be following a training program of a selected patient (military and civil) and learn more about his/her healing journey, and actively take part in the session.
WE CONTINUE
Press and other officials will be present, to witness our announcement of the next phase of Direct Aid helping smaller regional clinics, so the people will get the help locally, without the need to travel.
We invited the Governor, Myroslav Biletskyi to join us for this part of the program.
4.00. PM
TV 21 Studio Talk Show
88000, Ungvár, Pravoszláv rakpart 5. Link on Google map here
After having spent 3 days (nearly) in Ukraine, the Direct Aid team is asked to sit down with the regional station and talk about our experience. Also, they will be interested in the motivation behind helping, the reasons, the aims, and the goals. (Also, a bit about the American attitude towards Ukraine, having the new president elected. )
Reporter Kamilla Debreceni (she will lead the discussion), editor-reporter Sándor Szabó, cameraman Levente Szabó, cameraman István Pujó, director Szilvia Kocsis, technical director Tamás Bereczky, these people will be there plus those who will drop in.
TV21 has been our loyal partner since the beginning. Every single aid trip is documented by their reporters and sent to the national level.
6.30. PM Village Grill Party at Chomony (Csongor) András Baksa is our host
We have helped to renovate the local kindergarten and supported the local school with a generator and fuel cost for the winter. We will be helping the largest children's home in the next-door neighbor village, and András agreed to host a local welcome get-together. (His team will be joining us tomorrow to build the Ikea furniture. )
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Sting , Nagydobrony
KEY Daily program:
Working with the staff and friends of the children's home Nagydobrony, to create a new "little boys wing "
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8-10 AM (Local Kyiv time)
Breakfast at hotel Sting
10.15 AM -17.00 PM
Building Ikea furniture. The team will be welcomed by Andrea Katko (Director) and Knot Jurjen (Manager, from The Netherlands)
Unused storage space to a little boys' room
If you would like to learn more about the host, you can check it out here:
https://www.directaidforukraine.org/product-page/children-s-home-nagydobrony
Our design plans:
Other arrangements:
Lunch will be provided by the children's home.
After having completed the space, we will hand it over to the new residents, the little boys. Plan is to fully finish 2 bedrooms, a large living-study place, and a teacher's bedroom in one day. The furniture is already delivered to the location.
Back to Budapest
The border crossing at Záhony , with the help of the Hungarian Consulate
Expected arrival back to the hotel : 10pm