A registered nurse in Coquitlam who fled from Ukraine as a child is helping her home country as it battles Russian forces.
Tamara Moldon is working with non-governmental organizations to source, gather, sort, pack and ship medical and surgical supplies to the war-torn nation.
The supplies are donated by health authorities, manufacturers, vendors, companies and individuals.
A Burnaby Mountain Secondary graduate who left Dnipro, in east–central Ukraine, with her family in 1992 "because of the fear of war and our relative proximity to the Chernobyl nuclear plant," Moldon works with:
- H.E.R.O. Society (Humanitarian Emergency Response Operations), a group co-founded by Centennial Secondary graduate Terry Malchuk to provide logistical support on the ground in Ukraine
- Ukrainian Canadian Social Services, a registered charity that ships containers of medical and humanitarian aid to Ukraine
- Maple Hope Foundation, a group that’s formed an extensive support network for newcomers to the Lower Mainland
"Each organization has unique strengths and capabilities, and I am honoured to work on whatever project I can most effectively support," Moldon told the Tri-City News.
She said her biggest joy with the volunteer work comes when recipients send photos and video of the goods that have arrived.
Last month, Moldon saw images from army medics near Kherson who got the donated stretchers, wheelchairs and an ultrasound machine that were shipped by sea container.
Other items are sent via air freight or with people travelling to Ukraine who can take extra luggage, she said.
To date, Moldon, along with others such as Rotary World Help, has brought in more than $2 million worth of medical and surgical items for the three organizations.
Besides her outreach efforts, she's also speaking with friends and family in her native Ukraine — almost daily — to learn about the "special military operation," as Russia calls it, that erupted on Feb. 24, 2022.
"They are living in a constant state of fear and alertness, and are exhausted from the constant air raid sirens," she said.
Those wishing to donate are asked to email H.E.R.O. (donations@herosociety.ca); Ukrainian Canadian Social Services (romanihor@hotmail.com); and/or Maple Hope (help@maplehopefoundation.org).
