This is a personal project of mine – everything from sourcing the necessary kit, to delivering it to Ukraine is done by me.

I started to support colleagues in Ukraine in 2009, lecturing, training and sharing best- practice on major trauma-related subjects in Kyiv hospitals. There, the relationships were formed for the foundations of the work that followed – we understood what was needed on the ground, and importantly, who needed it. It was these contacts who prioritised the critical items which, with £19,000+ of crowd-funded support from   JustGiving.com, I have personally purchased and delivered to Ukraine since the war began.

Also, during my visits to the war-torn Ukraine, I have listened to people’s stories about their experiences of war from different viewpoints. They have ranged from soldiers and medics fighting at the frontlines, surgeons, and anaesthetists working in field hospitals, and in more elective settings, as well as ordinary people, who like my wife’s parents managed to escape their hometowns under heavy bombardment in the first days of war.

It was the   story of my in-laws, their personal account of their escape to Germany that they have shared with me, which inspired me to start recording those stories. I believe there is a niche in how the war is reported in the media. These are personal accounts of people living through it that need to be recorded. The voices of ordinary Ukrainian individuals deserve to be heard, so you the people in the West could see through their eyes, imagine what it is really like, think about what you would do if you were to find yourself in their shoes.

I have found myself to be in a good position to attempt to write those stories. I speak their language, I understand their culture, I have been there multiple times both before, and after the war started. I have also discovered that I could tell a story. I do not have a degree in creative writing, but what might be lacking in the formal structure, is fully compensated by the content. Most importantly, I hope you will see the   real people behind the stories. They have been through a lot recently, and they want to share it with you. All the stories are read and approved by them first before being published. They also decide whether they want any photos attached.

Those stories provide a glimpse into the ‘real life’ of real people, fighting for their families, freedom of self-determination, and often for their own survival both as individuals, and as a nation.