Two mums from London are set to drive over 1300 miles (2,100km) to Lviv, Ukraine this March, in an all-women convoy to mark International Women’s Day.
Samantha Alsemgeest and Charlotte Barnes, friends from a shared women’s motorcyle group, are aiming to raise £7000 with UK-based Driving Ukraine to fund an evacuation vehicle that will assist women combat medics on the front line.
Barnes, who has been following Driving Ukraine’s work for years, suggested the idea of joining the all-women convoy to Alsemgeest, who jumped at the opportunity after she “couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Barnes, from Ealing, said: “It is vitally important that these guys have vehicles to do the work that they do.
“They’re literally fetching wounded people away from front lines, and these vehicles are what they need to do that … It’s one of the most immediate ways that an individual here can make a difference.”
Alsemgeest, from Mitcham, agreed and said: “So many times you give money to a charity, and you know it is going to a good cause, but this is almost an immediate representation of those funds…
“It’s not going to a warehouse, it’s going to be used on the frontlines straight away to literally save lives, which is brilliant.”
Almsemgeest also cited her Slovakian husband as a reason she wanted to pursue this fundraising challenge.
Almsemgeest said: “[Slovakians are] very much feeling the impacts of the war, being neighbours next to it.”
Both Alsemgeest and Barnes noted the particular significance of joining the convoy to mark International Women’s Day, and the importance of helping women on the frontline.
Alsemgeest said: “Of course the priority will be saving lives and getting the vehicle over there, but … I think when one thinks of war, they think of men going to the front lines.
“But it’s also the sacrifice from women too.”
Barnes echoed this saying, “This is women helping women across Europe.”
Driving Ukraine has been sending vehicles to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, having organised around 55 convoys and raising over £2 million.
The upcoming all-women convoy will be the first of its kind for Driving Ukraine, with about 15 women volunteers in 6 vehicles, but Driving Ukraine is keen to organise more in the future.
Jacob Simpson, Mission Operations Manager for Driving Ukraine, said: “There’s a lot of female combat medics serving on the front lines, and we want to do something to honour and support them.”
Alsemgeest and Barnes are still appealing for donations after passing their halfway mark, saying “every penny helps”.
Alsemgeest said: “If we can raise anything above what we have in terms of target, that can help Driving Ukraine further get more vehicles, improve the quality of vehicles going over, and of course add more medical supplies to the vehicles themselves.”
You can donate to Samantha & Charlotte’s journey here: http://womenforukraine.org/
For more information on Driving Ukraine convoys, you can visit: https://drivingukraine.org/
Featured image credit: Samantha Alsemgeest
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