43rd Brigade ZSU (Ukraine armed forces); frontline medic with a box of Israeli bandages and tourniquets.
Sunflower Scotland has been helping Ukraine since the second week of the war, first as volunteers and later as a registered charity. They personally travel to the most difficult and dangerous frontline areas, so they understand the situation at its deepest, what humanitarian aid is really needed, and equally as important, what is not needed, which then goes on to becoming a wasted resource.
In frontline areas people struggle to survive. Hospitals are destroyed, ambulances do not come. People struggle to get food and so they have to drive to nearby towns, with the common risk of their cars getting blown up by mines and drones. That's why Sunflower Scotland specialise in delivering aid to frontline areas, because that's where the need is the greatest. In Ukraine, corruption is a real problem; Sunflower Scotland doesn't trust or use intermediaries and so they personally deliver the donated aid – including the vehicle used to get there once the delivery is complete – risking their own lives.
Equipment for rehabilitation centres.
Sunflower Scotland donates aid to down syndrome kids in Kryvyi Rih.
They have worked with a wide range of communities in Ukraine, each with different needs and requirements. So far, Sunflower Scotland has helped to support:
- One-hundred-and-ninety-nine orphans in the Kharkiv region, and 47 children with down syndrome in south Ukraine;
- Two rehabilitation centres for wounded women and men, especially those who have lost their limbs – The Wall Street Journal estimated that in 2023 Ukraine had about 50,000 amputees – in 2024, this number has at least doubled to 100,000; and
- Operating a patient transport service in south Ukraine. Due to a struggling healthcare system under the pressures of war, they use use their local contacts to find beds in hospitals. They use a van which we brought from Edinburgh to drive patients to hospitals, effectively becoming a charity ambulance.
Soldiers of the 43rd Brigade ZSU.
Sunflower Scotland donates NHS table to the "Patriot" rehabilitation centre, Pershotravensk, Ukraine.
Aside from these projects, Sunflower Scotland’s delivered aid is the cornerstone of its work, and donations are a big part of that. They are seeking rehabilitation equipment, especially plinths (treatment beds), wheelchairs, and machines for shockwave therapy (ESWT). Please also help with pressure bandages, tourniquets, occlusive chest wound dressings, and e-bone splints.
Donate and learn more: https://sunflowerscotland.co.uk/donate-to-support-ukraine/
