Grosmont man raising funds to deliver minibus filled with aid to Ukraine

Michael Betoin, 58, has already done two three-month stints in Ukraine, helping to clear bomb-damaged buildings and delivering aid to war-torn communities.

He returned to the UK in October to apply for a visa which would allow him to stay indefinitely to work with international volunteer organisation Turbota, a charity for which he is the UK aid manager.

Turbota means ‘Care’ in Ukrainian, and the charity focuses on providing aid to babies and small children.

The project is funded, in part, by Turbota's 'Cafe For Ukraine' at St Matthew’s Church in Grosmont.

Mr Betoin said: “We urgently need financial and physical donations for families and babies in the war zone.

“Even in a dangerous war zone, life can be a little better with a new teddy bear friend!”

Turbota works in and around Kharkiv which is in the north-east of the country, sometimes very close to the border with Russia.

Mr Betoin said: “Often we have police escorts to make our deliveries of food, medicine and childcare items.

“It actually startled me how quickly the van emptied when we went to Izium, three days after it was repatriated.

“We drove into this little housing estate, there was nobody about, and then people just appeared from every direction.

“In five minutes, every bag had gone, but there were 10 times as many people around the van.

“We literally have to drive away and leave them and hope that the others would share their food with them.

“You have to find a way to switch off from it, because you've got to be strong for them. If you seem to be buckling when you're the one that’s coming in to help, it doesn’t inspire them.

“We bring supplies in from the UK by van (a distance of 2,100 miles), as well as purchasing items in the country.

“Some items we make by hand, including small home-made gas burners to allow soldiers and families to cook food. “

A GoFundMe campaign set up to raise the £45,000 needed to purchase two vehicles has so far raised just over £21,000.

Mr Betoin said: “Vans are like gold in Ukraine, we have bought a minibus to use for humanitarian aid and evacuations.

“We plan to deliver it to them full of urgent winter aid for babies and children in the war zone.

“January and February are going to be the killer months, so if anything, the best opportunity I have to help is to come back here, get this minibus and return with as much aid as I can for them.

“We had to send £2000 to Turbota after water damage destroyed 3 months baby supplies and we are collecting baby food only now at our donation centres at St Matthews, Grosmont and St Hilda’s in Egton.

"I will be going back in early January, but I might keep the cafe open another week, because it has pretty much funded everything.

“We need £3,000 over the next two weeks.

"That will allow us to do everything we need to do to the minibus and get the aid to them. ”