A MAN on a humanitarian mission in Ukraine experienced what life is like for the people living in at a country at war recently.
Our own Kevin Roddam has travelled to this eastern European country more than a dozen times, taking humanitarian aid to the people and has often experienced close shaves but this trip has proven that the situation is ever worsening for the innocent victims of war.
He has been in the country for two weeks and already has assisted a group from Devon by driving a donated Ambulance to Zaporizhzia which is only a few miles from the actual front line returning back to Western Ukraine on overnight trains. In one city where he was staying overnight in what he describes as a ‘cheap hotel’, he was awakened by an air raid siren.
“The hotel didn’t have an air raid bunker but I left my room to find somewhere else to shelter, “ explained Kevin.
He came across a long corridor in the hotel, where many women and children were sheltering and looking around, he instantly knew it was probably the safest place to stay. Some of the children were in tears because they were so frightened and the women, hiding their own fear, were trying to console them.
Kevin remembered that he had a big bag of sweets in his bag, which was back in his room and took a chance of retrieving it. After gaining permission from the mothers with the little Ukrainian language he has acquired, he dished out the sweets to the children. It was a clever distraction and both mothers and children were very grateful not only for the sweets but for the appearance of a kind, older man.
He stayed with them until the coast was clear, making them smile and reassuring them.
“It was pretty scary,” admitted Kevin. “But I couldn’t let them see that, and eventually when the all clear sounded, it was a huge relief.”
The Rookhope pensioner, who is also a father and grandfather, spends his time raising money for and awareness of the situation in Ukraine. The aid he takes to the people – and others we can’t mention – is paid for by his efforts at home.
He and his wife, Christine, raised a lot of money with huge raffles at Allendale, Wolsingham and Stanhope Shows this year, raffling a wheelbarrow full of alcohol and chocolates, most of it donated.
Many local people and businesses donate to the cause with cash and goods. Kevin visits local groups too, giving them a slide-show talk on his work in Ukraine – bringing the real story of what is happening out there and at times, it is heartbreaking.
It also shows his bravery, his ability to read a situation and solve all manner of problems there too. He really is a local hero, a true Weardalian, putting others before himself. He will be staying in Ukraine – and travelling all around the country delivering aid, helping in Orphanages, Refugee Centres, Hospitals and assisting Emergency Services – for a few weeks to come and all we can do now at home is pray for his safe return.
