We said we would acquire two NATO bullet-proof ambulances that can be used on the frontlines and save lives in the most efficient way.
The journey of the promise was exciting, long, nerve-racking, tedious, hard, frustrating, and exhausting. However, just like the Ukrainian people that are tirelessly fighting for the freedom of their country, we knew we couldn't stop.
Our journey started with a beautiful fashion fundraiser where the most prominent Ukrainian designers came to Boston with their clothes, jewelry, and art collection; where our donors and sponsors made the most generous donations, where Sunflower of Peace team members and volunteers worked around the clock to make this a successful event. We would like to express our gratitude again to Alexandra Dergausova for her incredible organizational skills, thinking outside the box, and bringing out the best in people, and to the talented designers Gudu, Elena Reva, Lilia Litkovska, J’amemme, Lee Pfayfer, Yuliya Magdych, Guzema Jewelry, OBERIG Jewelry, The Coat, Gunia Project, OLK Manufactory, Home Me, Have-a-rest and fashion stylist Lina Khrystoforova.
After the fundraiser, Sunflower of Peace team members worked extremely hard on procuring and acquiring ambulances. We learned that these types of ambulances are almost impossible to acquire, and the wait can be more than a year. Sunflower of Peace faced the daunting challenge of dealing with extensive paperwork to meet government regulations and arranging the delivery from the UK to Ukraine since these types of ambulances couldn't be driven across state lines but had to be transported in a special vehicle. We had to repair the engines, and the wheels, repaint the vehicles, and make sure we delivered them in the most pristine condition. After all, we did it! We delivered two beautiful fast armored Pinzgauers to the most dangerous location where our men and women are risking their lives for their freedom and the freedom of millions of Ukrainian people. These vehicles allow the evacuation to begin as close as possible to enemy lines. Each can be used to evacuate up to seven wounded defenders at once, and their passability can be compared to a tank. These ambulances will both protect the crew and safely get as close to the front line as possible and as quickly as possible. Safety and speed are the most important things during the evacuation of wounded.
The Pinzgauers were delivered to the second motorized infantry battalion of the 93rd unit "Kholodnyi Yar" located in Bakhmut and the first "Siverska" tank infantry brigade protecting Zaporizhya direction. Both of the directions are described as hell by the defenders. WE PROMISED, AND WE DELIVERED! We are most grateful to EVERY single person who was part of this journey. Your donations, your hard work, your persistence, your resilience, and your perseverance made this possible! It's because of all of you we, as an organization, are able to SAVE LIVES IN UKRAINE!