On Sunday, April 2nd, 2023, the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “Peace and Good” delivered another batch of 20 tons of humanitarian aid, part of which was transferred to the front-line. Several foreign volunteers joined the Ukrainian philanthropists in their trip to Chasiv Yar, they handed over tourniquets to the volunteer battalion and a repeater for the 79th brigade.
Ukrainian News managed to communicate with Manfredi Magnano from Italy, Graham Holkey from America and Oleksandr Rietveld from the Netherlands, who have been helping Ukraine since the very beginning of the full-scale war unleashed by russia; in particular, two of the volunteers also cooperated with the Italian Charitable Foundation Hope.
Manfredi Magnano, a volunteer from Italy
We started the conversation with the Italian Manfredi Magnano, who moved to work at a humanitarian center in Poland at the beginning of last spring, and later continued the humanitarian mission directly in Ukraine.
How did it all start in Ukraine? When did you realise you wanted to help us?
“The thing is that my friend’s father was the head of the Italian humanitarian foundation Hope, so I understood well what was happening from the very beginning. In March 2022, I went to work at the warehouses of the Italian foundation on the Polish-Ukrainian border, in the city of Medyka. I was a logistics manager, helping with the distribution of humanitarian aid. There, in fact, I met various people, including Graham (ed. – another volunteer, an American), and this allowed me to start volunteering already in Ukraine.”
How many people are there in your team and how are decisions made about who to help and how much?
“When I worked directly in the warehouses, I had 5 volunteers under my supervision every day, mostly students from Dutch universities, coming from different countries around the world. The work was in shifts, in total, our team consisted of 21 people.
“We had three help algorithms. The first is the direct distribution of food packages to refugees who were crossing the border. The second is the transfer of specialised medical equipment. As a rule, we delivered it to a hospital in Lviv, and they distributed it around the country as needed. The third – when drivers who were delivering aid to hot spots and ordinary Ukrainians turned to us, we gave them part of the boxes with the humanitarian aid, and they transferred it further and reported to the Foundation.”
Tell us about your trip with the Chairty Foundation “Peace and Good” to Chasiv Yar?
“It was scary. First of all, when you don’t know the language, you don’t fully understand what is happening. Besides, I have no special training, for example, I do not know what to do if a car breaks down on the road that is shot through.”
What feelings overwhelm you when you’re giving help to those who are looking forward to it? And actually, how long do you plan to help Ukraine?
“When I’m giving help, in such moments I am very happy. However, I see with my own eyes the terrible consequences of the war, and I understand that Western countries should be much more involved in helping Ukraine. This war also affects the countries of Europe, and it will affect even more. I like Ukraine, the ideas for which it fights – for freedom. You are actually fighting for the freedom of my Motherland, Italy, too. Therefore, this is a personal mission for me. After the Victory, I plan to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, I will not quit volunteering.”