Working cross borders in the name of our Order
Spring 2018
Instead of only supporting the efforts in Ukraine with monetary support, the members in Priory St Ansgar, Stockholm Sweden, asked the Grand Prior of Ukraine if they could support the orphans with cloths, toys etc.Grand Priory of Sweden and Grand Priory of Ukraine decided to operate a mutual Aid and Charity operation for the orphan children in eastern Ukraine, in or very close to the war zone. The Grand Chancellor was briefed and supported the project. The effect of this was double. First the interest and drive among the members in St Ansgar came to a new peak and second and most important was the support with clothing etc to the orphans in eastern Ukraine.
The initial idea was to go to Ukraine with some of the members expedition Land Rover Defenders and therefor the format for the members meeting was expedition like with information, discussions and barbecue.
Priory Saint Ansgar started a gathering in social media and among friends and family for children’s clothing, toys, hygiene articles etc. Within three weeks 2500 children’s clothing and toys were collected. Some members of Saint Ansgar also bought hygiene articles themselves.
The transportation to Ukraine was an issue; therefore the decision was taken to transport the 86 boxes to Vilnius and from Vilnius Brother Visvaldas Symelis, OSJ would take the boxes to a warehouse outside Kyiv. Serving Brother Branko Skarec and Serving Sister Lena Mårdfalk from Priory Saint Ansgar brought the boxes by car to Vilnius. After arriving to Vilnius the operation had a minor backlash. It took several months to transport the boxes, one by one from Vilnius to Kyiv.
A huge work now took place from Ukrainian volunteers, who free and disinterestedly transported all the humanitarian collected items from Vilnius to Ukraine and Pereyaslavl. This effort delayed our expedition. The joint operation had to wait until spring 2019 due to many provocations, shootings and that the logistic Officer, one of the Ukrainian Brothers was taken by the Russians and was held in Russian prison in Sochi for 44 days.
In March the Grand Prior of Ukraine presented the plan and the logistics. The operation was to take place between the 6thand 11thof May 2019. The 3rdof May the Chancellor of Grand Priory Sweden went to Kyiv for the final planning.
Author
Chev. Mikael Hagansbo, COSJ Chancellor Grand Priory of Sweden