Orphanage in Pervomais’k needs a van

Our support for UAid Direct Orphanage in Pervomai’sk that houses 120 children, with planned capacity for 250. This place was renovated, furnished, and set up by UAid Direct volunteers but due to a total engine failure, they no longer have a transport van that can operate between Ukraine and the EU to bring in supplies. Read below how we were able to help.

Ryan Grant Little

8/25/20243 min read

Between mid July and August 13, I was collecting donated toys and children’s clothes in Vienna and area. My goal was to fill the needed van to the brim with this stuff and make it like Christmas in August for these kids. Kids are aged 0-17 and winter clothes will soon be desperately needed. We reached out and got donations from as far away as a kindergarden in Linz.

On July 31 I bought this absolute gem of a 2005 extended box Mercedes Sprinter with 300k km. Purchase price was €5,500; registration and a needed fix brought it to €6,100.

Loading up in Vienna on August 14. Along with the toys and clothes, the van is a donation from us to replace their transport van which had a total engine failure.

The orphanage is located near Pervomais’k (red dot at the bottom of the map)

After a border wait time of 8 hours we moved on during the night with some loud Radiohead to keep me awake on the Ukrainian roads. Luckily I’m allowed out past curfew with my volunteer ID! Total 1st day drive, 21.5 hours. Unplanned sleepover in Lviv!

Pickup truck fuel pump failed in Lviv. It was replaced and sent to Kyiv on Monday. So we all squeezed into the van.

Orphanage! I really, really, really had to stop myself from taking puppies and kittens.

The last one in the gallery is the girls’ dorm. It’s in rough shape and the floors are wooden and being eaten by woodworms so can fall through any time. Concrete has been bought with donations and volunteers are replacing the floors. They are still fundraising for the stuff volunteers can’t do: electrical and plumbing to-code. Here’s how to help: https://gofund.me/bef24362

Musty, moldy room in the bomb shelter where kids have to spend so many hours sitting on these chairs. Kids over 12 can choose if they stay in the bomb shelter, under 12 they have to stay. It is super cramped, dark, horrible. They are hoping to buy a camping toilet as right now it’s buckets…

Below the “good” bathroom. They hope to install some new showers with privacy separators and toilets with seats. This place gets no government funding and is entirely reliant on donations.

This will be transformed into a cinema: we bought/brought a projector, computer with kids’ movies in Ukrainian, a screen and—piece de resistance—a popcorn machine. I had hoped to host the first movie night and even downloaded Ukrainian Finding Nemo but we were running behind schedule because of the border wait and the broken down pickup.

Orphanage in Pervomais’k needs a van

SHOWTIME

There were very, very few toys there before. Now it’s like Christmas 🎅

Thank you for your support! This has been a big success.