Distribution Begins of Friend's of Be an Angel's Largest Medicine Shipment to Ukraine Despite Weeks of Blockade by Polish Truckers
Distribution has begun of our biggest shipment to date. Three trucks containing 16.5 tons of medicine provided by IDA Foundation and sponsored by Give to the World and the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America were delivered late January, yielding a combined 15.6 million doses of antibiotics, pain management, adrenaline, insulin and more.
The first destination started with the cystic fibrosis (CF) department of the Lviv regional children’s hospital, where currently over 100 children with CF are staying. This comes at a desperate time when the EU is facing an extreme antibiotics and reagents shortage, making it significantly more difficult for Ukrainian hospitals to access them.
Additional locations are the hospitals in Uman and Lviv, as well as the Oncology Institute in Kyiv. Dozens of more locations will receive these medical supplies as distribution continues.
Blockade by Polish Trucker Demonstration impeded Delivery of Critical Humanitarian Aid
This comes after weeks of problem solving in which we opened a humanitarian corridor to allow the three trucks to pass through the Polish blockade of the Ukrainian border.
Cargo transit between Poland and Ukraine has been severely disrupted due to ongoing demonstrations by Polish truck drivers at key border crossings. The blockade began on November 6th, with Polish haulers imposing roadblocks in a demand to reinstate entry permits which the EU suspended last year as part of the Solidarity Lanes Initiative. This initiative was introduced to help Ukraine’s struggling export industry after Russia blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea Ports. Polish truckers accuse the initiative of causing a high number of Ukrainian drivers to enter Poland and haul goods from Poland to other countries, thereby undercutting local businesses that cannot match cheaper Ukrainian prices.
Over 3,000 trucks are backed up at the border crossings, with lines reaching up to 30 kilometers. Exhausted drivers are stuck in massive lines on both sides of the border, with expected waiting times reaching over one month at the Yahodyn – Darohusk crossing.
While an unofficial and difficult humanitarian aid corridor has been opened entering the country, the wait times for the same trucks returning has reached up to three weeks. Logistics companies have begun discontinuing humanitarian aid shipments to Ukraine for this reason.