In 2022, two unmarked vans drove across Europe to the Ukrainian border and entered the country – packed full of emergency medical supplies.
Barely a month before, the world had watched as Russian troops began an illegal full scale invasion, tactically targeting healthcare facilities.
The impact on ordinary Ukrainians had been swift and deadly – missiles, tanks and troops wreaked havoc across a number of major cities and regions.
In the UK, Advanced Paramedic Luca Alfatti was working with World Extreme Medicine – a global organisation providing training and education in remote medicine. Speaking to founder Professor Mark Hannaford, the two felt an immediate need to use their skills and contacts to provide effective medical aid to the people of Ukraine.
Luca says, “At the time, many large charities and organisations were trying to arrange aid, but nothing practical had actually happened – lots of resources were simply sitting, wasted in warehouses in Poland. I felt we could make a tangible difference from Day 1 – I have a background on overlanding expeditions so I’m used to logistics, border crossings. I knew immediacy was the key, and as a smaller, more agile organisation, it was a case of just driving to the border and making it happen.”
This first convoy got high value trauma supplies through to areas in need right away, becoming some of the first aid available to the Ukrainian people. Soon, the newly titled Medics4Ukraine gained a reputation for being consistent, reliable and responsive, winning support from all quarters and resulting in over £3.5m worth of aid delivered to the region to date.
As a result, the World Extreme Medicine Fund was established as a charitable arm to enable emergency medical support to be offered to worldwide crises.
Founder Mark Hannaford says, “It felt like a natural move from providing education, training and awareness of extreme medicine across the globe, to creating an outreach service for aid, operating as a corporate NGO. Not only in Ukraine, but across the Middle East, Africa and Asia we’ve established projects supporting communities in times of greatest need. The World Extreme Medicine Fund (WEMF) is designed to provide surge capacity life saving aid whether it’s during conflict, public health emergencies or natural disasters.”
WEMF is not a registered charity in its own right. WEMF operates as a restricted fund under the auspices of Humanitas, registered charity 1114639
