"Share your skills, adapt them, and learn new skills as needed" - the PC Ukraine community delivers first aid supplies to Ukraine's defenders in Kyiv
During service, many Peace Corps Volunteers were given little business cards with the 10 Core Expectations of Peace Corps printed on them. We were asked to carry these expectations with us at all times - literally, on paper - and also in the way we conducted ourselves each day for the years we served in Ukraine.
The second Core Expectation is as follows: Commit to improving the quality of life of the people with whom you live and work and, in doing so, share your skills, adapt them, and learn new skills as needed.
Russia launched a massive military attack against Ukraine on February 24th, 2022 that continues to escalate as of publishing this article on March 20th. Our commitment to improving lives in Ukraine is now a commitment to saving lives. Adapting and learning new skills as needed means we are suddenly immersed in matters of wartime logistics and emergency medical aid.
On March 10th, we confirmed successful delivery to our partners in Kyiv of more than 100 complete military-grade Individual First Aid Kits (IFAKs), 50 CAT tourniquets, and an ample supply of Quick Clot and military bandages for gunshot wounds - more than $15,000 worth of life-saving supplies requested by those on the front lines.
This effort was initiated by TCF / TEFL Counterpart Iryna Luchyn, RPCV Emile Gable, and his wife Olesya Korpan; it continues thanks to generous donations and the tireless efforts of Ukraine RPCVs and our Ukrainian friends, family members, and partners. The next delivery of 375 IFAKs has already arrived and been received by Ukrainian defenders. From Poland, supplies were driven to high-priority destinations, like Kyiv, by a small and immeasurably brave Ukrainian team who persist even as checkpoints and bombed-out roads make ground transportation increasingly difficult and dangerous. This direct delivery method saves vitally important time while sparing precious space on freight routes and in warehouses that are already at maximum capacity.
A Ukrainian defender holds an IFAK and prepares to distribute to their brigade
Ukraine’s defenders - among them our colleagues, students, family members, and friends - are still in desperate need of IFAKs. In the words of one former PC Ukraine counterpart, “Війна як чорна діра поглинає все це в безмежних кількостях” - “War, like a black hole, swallows all these supplies in endless quantities”.
Bulk orders of Celox, a compound applied to wounds to stem bleeding.
This item appears on virtually every supply request list we have seen from our contacts in Ukraine.
If you would like to contribute to a third shipment, please click below. 100% of the donations go to more IFAKs. Each IFAK can save a life.
Слава Україні! Героям слава!
