East Antrim man 'honoured' to be helping Ukrainian people

David Greer will be travelling to the war-torn country in the coming weeks with communication apparatus, water pumps and much-needed medical supplies.

Mr Greer, who has a background in the broadcast and satellite industry, went to Ukraine in April with his wife Ruth to help re-establish communications infrastructure after it was destroyed in the early stages of the war.

Now, six months after returning from Eastern Europe, the Kilcairn resident is gearing up to travel to the region again with more vital equipment.

Speaking to the Larne Times ahead of the generous effort, David said: “When the war broke out, I had satellite equipment in my garage and I felt it would be more useful to the people out there, so I set about planning to get it over to Ukraine and help people in the border regions.

"When the infrastructure was destroyed in the early stages of the conflict, a lot of people were separated from their loved ones. When residents were fleeing the country through the neighbouring borders, records were very sparse and were being recorded on paper, rather than electronically. Now, the re-established satellite connection is allowing records to be kept digitally, along with a photograph of the person, and this is helping to reunite families who had lost their relatives.

"Before the connection was established, people were having to drive hundreds of miles to relay the information to the next station. Cars were frequently attacked, but with the electronic link set up, it has made this a lot safer and may have helped to save lives.

"I will be making the trip with a colleague, but it is not finalised yet.

"We will travel to either Poland or Slovakia to meet our contacts. Even though the journey is only a few weeks away, we don’t have a concrete destination yet as things could change and it could depend on where the fighting is in Ukraine and where we are most needed.

"At the minute, the length of time we’ll be in the country is an open book, although it should be between two and three weeks.The trip in mid-April was two weeks.

"Local contacts in the region will provide accommodation across different locations throughout our stay.

"My main focus this time will be supplying water purification tablets and village water filtration systems. As the conflict has continued, water pumping stations have been attacked and people, especially in rural parts of the country, have no access to clean drinking water. The water is stagnant and people are becoming ill.

"To date, we have tablets supplied to purify over two million litres of clean drinking water. We also have 12 water pumps of different sizes, but our goal is to take 20 pumps.”

David, who is a member of Woodlands Presbyterian Church in Carrickfergus, will be experiencing a much harsher climate when he makes his second trip to Ukraine later this month.

He explained: “When we were there in April, the worst of their winter was behind them and the weather was improving. We are now in their winter and it will be a lot colder.

"I will be donating winter clothes, blankets, bed linen and sleeping bags to help vulnerable people whose lives have been devastated by the war- they have nothing.

"Supplies of medical aid, off the shelf medication, dry foods, baby products and personal hygiene goods for children are also much-needed and I’ll be transporting these to the impacted areas.

"Care homes for elderly residents will also be supported this time. I’ll be taking wheelchairs and rollators to them. They seem to be one section of society forgotten about during the conflict. I also have PPE and gloves for a hospital."

David has raised almost £7,000 to support the people of Ukraine via an online fundraising page.

Thanking everyone who has backed his kindhearted effort, he stated: “It is an honour to be doing this for the people of Mid and East Antrim. I have received support from my church congregation, neighbours and people at the Methodist Church in Islandmagee have also been very supportive. But, the support I have received has also come from much wider areas and from all sections of the community. I am very thankful of the backing my effort has received.

"I have also been gifted a van, which I will be using to transport the goods out to Ukraine in. The vehicle will be left in Ukraine to assist the aid effort. Cars are having to make numerous trips, but the van will be able to be filled, reaching more people in a single journey.

"Stock Car in Mallusk have also been supportive. They have been sending goods in 40-foot lorries to Ukraine and have shared their expertise. Anything that I can’t transport myself, they will take to Ukraine for me.

"We have a banner in our garden ‘Ukraine collection point.’ Members of the public have been giving items of non-perishable food and leaving them in a collection box we have outside our home.

"People have also made anonymous donations. Everything that has been provided really is a blessing.”

If you would like to contact David to offer assistance, email [email protected]

To make a donation, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/ni-support-for-ukraine

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