A Maltese volunteer team that has been delivering aid to Ukraine has described the situation on the ground and the hurdles they themselves have to go through to get to their destination. 

Members of the team have occasionally had to drive on dangerous roads exposed to missile attacks or unexploded bombs.

The roads themselves are in a dangerous state - unlit and having icy surfaces.

Marc Edward Pace Portanier told Times of Malta that on one occasion, the team had to drive  through a minefield at night in a blackout.  

We drove through a minefield at night when you can’t switch on lights- Volunteer Marc Edward Pace Portanier

This, he said, is a race against time as millions of Ukrainians face winter without power.

Since February, more than 5,000 refugees have been helped by Fundacja Zmieniamy Życie (Change a Life Foundation). The charity began helping affected Ukrainians within a week of Russia’s invasion, delivering essential supplies such as food and medicine while also shuttling refugees through Poland.

In November, the Maltese team delivered its largest run, shuttling three and a half tons of food and essential supplies, including 500kg of medicine, 200 blankets and generators to the Donetsk and Kherson areas.

The team has since begun shifting its focus to the needs brought on by winter months as many areas lack consistent power or, in some cases, have none at all.

“Attacks on the energy infrastructure have been ongoing for a number of weeks,” Pace Portanier said. “The Ukrainian government is constantly looking at how to plug the massive energy output deficit as well as repair essential infrastructure critical in these months. Helping people stay warm during the winter is something we are trying to tackle,” with the team seeing an increase in requests for warm clothing and blankets.

Although a lot of the supplies are donated, there are many costs the team need to cover themselves, said Pace Portanier, each trip costing a minimum of €1,500 on fuel. For December, the team have already spent €8,000 on portable generators that will help provide warmth and hot water as sub-zero temperatures settle in.

Marc Edward Pace Portanier with a young Ukrainian refugee. Photo: Fundacja Zmieniamy Życie

They told us ‘give it to other people’

According to data kept y the United Nations, around 6.6 million people have been displaced due to the conflict in Ukraine, with approximately 13 million stranded in affected areas.

As the team offered help over the past nine months, they saw a communal mentality, people only ever taking what they needed and handing the extra food to those next in line. “People were not asking us for help, they were actually refusing help. They told us, ‘give it to other people, not to us.’ Even those who were literally running away with whatever there is on their back, they would not ask for help even if it was offered.”

Marc Edward Pace Portanier (right) with Wojciech Sielicki from Fundacja Zmieniamy Życie on one of the trips.

‘How it all began’

It all began when Wojciech Sielicki, the charity’s vice president, texted Pace Portanier days after Russia began its invasion in February, asking him if he knew anyone who could drive and was willing to spend a few days there.

“I felt a calling... I believe there was a reason I got a message that day. Although I never pictured myself doing this, I’ve always felt that if something like this happens and I need to help I would have the ability and the resources to do so.”

Pace Portanier’s first night on the Polish border was on March 5, shuttling six people that evening. It started with a rental car with three seats, and in a week and a half it grew into two vans.

The experience was “harrowing”. “The first night we spent the whole night at the border, and although there were a lot of people, you just hear the scary silence of it. We met a woman taking her daughter down to Italy from Chernihiv. Her husband had to operate on an 18-year-old who was around 10 metres away from a rocket. I remember going back and feeling numb for around four to five hours.”

Desperate need for funds

This Christmas, the team is planning a holiday run that will not simply consist of essential supplies but also delivering energy to areas on the front with no power.

“There would be one generator with five different leads sprawling out from it and there are about 50 people charging their phones. We are burning €200 a day just on diesel,” Portanier said. “We can’t do this without the help of companies and people. The funds simply help us go further.”

Fundacja Zmieniamy Życie are accepting donations via a GoFundMe page and through Revolut donations to +356 9907 2596.