The "Mriya" ambulance for Hostomel, Ukraine

Hi, I’m Dan. I’m a sailor and a sailing instructor from the Netherlands, also leading and managing a large local expats’ sailing community. In March 2022, I co-founded a non-profit foundation called Zeilen van Vrijheid (Sails of Freedom). Since then, our initiative has delivered 99 ambulance vehicles filled with lifesaving equipment and vital medical supplies to hospitals and volunteer organizations in Ukraine, providing much-needed support for their work. Now, I need your help to raise money for one more.

You can learn more about Zeilen van Vrijheid and follow us on social media via the website: https://zeilenvanvrijheid.nl

I want to give this ambulance a name, Mriya, and I will personally deliver it to a field hospital currently in operation near the Hostomel airport in the Kyiv region of Ukraine. I am raising EUR 32,000 to make this happen. The vehicle itself costs EUR 25'000, and the rest would be spent on equipment and medical supplies.

The Hostomel airport was one of the first places that Russian military forces attacked when they brought a full-scale war to Ukraine on February 24th 2022. Constant shelling and air strikes ensued, along with the horrors suffered by civilians in the neighboring towns of Irpin and Bucha. For all Ukrainians, the names of these places have become synonymous with the illogical terror of war. In the Battle for Hostomel, an important symbol of Ukrainian nationhood was destroyed: the Mriya airplane, the largest cargo air vessel in the world, one of a kind.

It’s been seven months, and the war is far from over. In their latest offensive, Russian invaders are openly and ruthlessly targeting civilian infrastructure to torment and break the people of Ukraine. They are bombing power plants, roads, hospitals and ambulances. Just recently, a targeted airstrike destroyed two ambulance vehicles that Zeilen van Vrijheid delivered to the city of Bakhmut back in April. More ambulances are being hit every day.

You may wonder: what difference does one car make? What difference can a single person make when faced with the unspeakable horror of war? I would say that all the difference is made in small actions: a box of humanitarian aid, a small donation, and a single car. Together, these things become an avalanche of support.

Each vehicle Zeilen sends to Ukraine is a full-scale project: from sourcing to logistics, to driving, to customs – a lot of work and preparation goes into every single one. Zeilen follows the fate of each ambulance it delivers closely, and this one will be no exception. It will be exceptional, though – in a different way.

I will deliver this vehicle personally to the field hospital run by the medics who were saving lives during the Battle for Hostomel. During that battle, the Mriya airplane was destroyed. Mriya means “dream” in Ukrainian. While the cargo plane bearing this name is no more, the dreams of the Ukrainians for peace and prosperity in their homeland are unbent, even after these long months of the war. I share this dream – we all do, I am sure. It is only right that our ambulance bearing this powerful name will report for duty in a place where so many hopes and dreams were crushed. To recognize the legacy of this place, we will give this ambulance a special livery in remembrance of Mriya and in support of Ukraine’s hope.

The vehicle has already been reserved with our ambulance supplier; you can learn all about it by following this link: https://www.specialtruckparts.com/ambulance/volkswagen-ambulance-crafter-was/

All that is missing at the moment are the funds to buy it. It will be a great personal responsibility, honor, and privilege to drive this ambulance to Hostomel myself. And so, I’m launching this very personal campaign, asking you – with all my heart – for your personal support.

Will you help?