Event industry foundation Meeting Needs awarded a cash grant of £7,500 at the end of 2024 to help finance the delivery of ambulances, food, and medicine to Ukraine this month. This follows announcements of other significant projects and successes through Meeting Needs at the end of 2024, including:

  • The Tushinde School Outreach Programme reduced child abuse in 12 schools, impacting over 10,000 children, along with teachers and parents, in Kenya.
  • Mwangozomumu Primary School is completing a renovation of three classrooms to provide a dry and warm environment for more than 100 pupils.
  • The development of a primary school in Oldendereti, Tanzania, to teach basic agricultural skills to 358 pupils while enabling them to cultivate their food, improving nutrition and educational outcomes.
Mighty Convoy

The latest activity by Meeting Needs, in partnership with Mighty Convoy, provided the cash for purchasing an ex-NHS ambulance to carry food aid donated by Country Food Trust. It was the tenth time Mighty Convoy had made the 1,200-mile, 23-hour journey to Lviv from Surrey with medical aid donated by the Ukrainian Medical Association of the United Kingdom (UMAUK) and the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA).

Mighty Convoy buys the ambulances when they reach the end of their useful life after about nine years in the UK. Then, Mighty Convoy’s team of volunteers drives the ambulances and pick-up trucks filled with urgent medical supplies to teams on the ground in Lviv, Ukraine, where they are left for local use.

Mighty Convoy’s Simon Brake said: “The situation in Ukraine continues to be highly challenging, and our help is desperately needed as the Russian invasion continues. The Ukrainian Government cannot provide ambulances and vehicles to handle the harsh terrain. Hence, charitable action is the only way for them to get these life-saving rescue vehicles and humanitarian support.

“We arrived on Friday night to a warm welcome from our partners at the Christian Medical Association Ukraine. On Saturday morning, we officially handed over the vehicles to the association. We had a chance to hear first-hand from its President, Rudi Migovich, and his team about how these vehicles and aids make a vital difference and save lives.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone whose support made this possible. In particular, our heartfelt thanks to Meeting Needs, who sponsored an ambulance, and the Country Food Trust, who generously provided the food supplies we delivered. We can only do this vital work with your help.”

Meeting Needs is a foundation that awards life-changing grants to small charities with funds raised from within the Meetings Industry.  To find out how you can work with Meeting Needs, contact Karen Small.