WE NEED YOUR HELP!

 

On March 5th, Karina Kostyna , a film producer in Ukraine reached out to my dear friend and colleague, Nir Adar with an urgent request for help to gather supplies for NICU's (Neonatal Intensive Care Units) at Hospitals located throughout Ukraine.  Nir in turn, reached out to me and explained that Karina and other producers, one of whom had recently given birth prematurely, have been volunteering to help the overworked hospital staff acquire and transport supplies they desperately need to keep these most vulnerable patients alive and safe.  Their effort started with one hospital in Kyiv and now their network includes 16 hospitals.  Premature babies need very specific supplies that can be difficult to source in Ukraine under normal conditions, now it's become nearly impossible. They need our HELP!

 

What can you do? DONATE! We need your support as we rapidly acquire medical and pharmaceutical supplies based on a list that Karina provided us from the doctors at the hospital. While we've been trying to get supplies donated - the process has proved too slow, so we're starting to PURCHASE as much as we can source and afford, AND WITH YOUR HELP, we'll be able to acquire Much Much More.  No donation is too small!  If you or someone you know works at a medical supply or pharma company that can donate (or discount) quantities of NICU specific medications or medical supplies, please contact us directly.

 

How will we get the supplies there? We've arranged transportation from the US to Poland through an amazing NY-based International Emergency Courier Service that has offered to rapidly move bulk supplies from the US to Warsaw... at no charge.  From there, Nir has worked with Karina to line up a network of local couriers (largely film/video production community volunteers) ready to receive and transport the materials from Poland to Lyiv and then on to NICU's throughout Ukraine that can be reached. These people are highly committed and incredibly brave - THEY ARE TRUE HEROES.

 

What have we accomplished so far? Through contacts in the film production community and tons of research, we've already been able to identify International NGO's that have landed medical supplies on the ground in neighboring countries and connected those that have what the NICU's need with Karina, whose band of volunteer couriers have begun the process of transporting supplies to Children's Hospital No. 2 and other Ukrainian Children's Hospital NICU's that Karina's volunteer team have identified. We've also connected Karina with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) which is putting together multiple pallets of supplies that we expect to ship on Tuesday 3/15 to Warsaw.

 

Who are we? Just a handful of film and video production colleagues, logistics professionals, and culinary friends focusing our organizational skills and tightly knit networks to bring a laser focus on this very specific, incredibly vulnerable population of premature infants in Ukraine. There's a ton of amazing organizations hustling to supply all sorts of aid - but we were not able to find any that were singularly focused on the needs of NICU patients... so we're stepping up to fill the gap help them directly.

 

Words to you from Karina in Ukraine: "I'm not medic, I was not in any organization before, I was never a volunteer... i'm film producer and I just know how to work hard and organize things around. But never during ongoing danger around!

 

So me and few other producers, one of us had an early born baby who knew how hard it is to get medicine for such a tiny babies even in normal life. As she knew few doctors in Kyiv hospitals she contacted them and we helped them to find right and necessary medicines. After they put us in touch with other hospitals and that's how we started to get more requests. We didn't contact ministry of health as we are trying to help, not putting more pressure for any governmental institutions and we have small sources provided by our friends from abroad and our own.

 

Nir was asking how he can help and I've shared request from children's hospital No. 2 [to him and Manny] and that's how it started. This list is something that hospital [normally] needs each 2 weeks, and cannot get now... so there is a need of this medicine and supplies in Kyiv or any other hospitals which are in war zone. Logistics is hard now, that's why we're helping as much as we can to get and move supplies. I'm not working for any organisation, I'm just helping because I'm Ukrainian and I cannot stay passive in this.

 

Today it was a direct air strike in Mariupol in maternity hospital. This is a disaster and a huge tragedy. I cannot imagine something like this even though photos are showing this cruelty and nightmare which is happening now!

 

Now more and more babies are born early because of the huge stress and the ongoing war. Mothers giving birth is cellars and bomb shelters. Our doctors working 24 hours. We trying to do our part and at least make their needs a bit less.

 

So far I'm doing maximum I can and trying not to get crazy.

 

thank you again for all your help and all your input!!!!!

 

Karina

 

 

 

 

 

Are we a registered 501c3 Charity: No, we're just a group of people doing what we can to bring much needed aid to these incredibly vulnerable children. We do promise that we are all volunteers and that we will not be taking a dime for the work we're doing. All gifts will go specifically to the purchase of medical supplies and shipping/courier fees related to transporting supplies to NICU's in Ukraine. In some instances, we may contribute funds to NGO's that have aided us in our effort.