Ambulances for Ukraine: New Zealand Volunteer Delivers Dozens More Vehicles
New Zealand volunteer Tenby Powell has helped secure nearly 100 ambulances for Ukraine’s frontline regions. The process has been far from straightforward, with many vehicles requiring modifications before they can be put into service. But that has not deterred him. Powell runs his own charitable foundation, which raises donations to fund the delivery of ambulances, including from other continents.
Six additional ambulances are en route to eastern Ukraine courtesy of New Zealand volunteer Tenby Powell. Powell, who has been transporting ambulances to Ukraine from various parts of the globe for the past four years, founded the New Zealand humanitarian organization Kiwi Aid & Refugee Evacuation (Kiwi K.A.R.E.) in 2022. This organization has a humanitarian impact valued at $60 million since its operations began.
Kiwi K.A.R.E. has executed numerous humanitarian missions, rescued thousands of civilians, and provided dozens of ambulances and support vehicles to medical units in conflict zones such as Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson.
Powell was honored with Ukraine’s Order of Merit for his charity foundation Kiwi K.A.R.E., which raises funds globally and engages numerous European partners to support Ukraine's frontline. The latest shipment of six ambulances was shipped in containers, accompanied by additional medical aid from New Zealand. These six vehicles are part of a total of 81 ambulances Kiwi K.A.R.E. has delivered to support Ukraine, and the logistics team is well-versed in managing international freight.
Tenby Powell's Logistics Director, Paulette Cox, and Polish Country Directors, David Meister and Alexander Lubański, handle the ambulances' arrival in Europe.
The ambulances will be deployed to high-priority communities, primarily frontline medical units in Kharkiv and Donetsk. One ambulance will be retained for Kiwi K.A.R.E.'s Road-of-Life program, which has, to date, facilitated around 21,000 evacuations and patient transfers since 2022. The transportation process involves sourcing used vehicles, repairing them, and transporting them to Ukraine.
This time, the six ambulances traveled nearly 20,000 kilometers from their origin to their destination. The New Zealand St John ambulance service donated the six ambulances, which have journeyed 17,000 kilometers by ship from Ostend, Belgium, to Kyiv without any issues. Powell's involvement in the war began in 2022 when he witnessed an attack on Kharkiv.
Since then, he has dedicated himself to assisting Ukraine, despite its geographical distance from his home. Powell first contacted the director of the St. John ambulance service he previously worked with in the army; the director responded promptly and initiated the process, leading to the arrival of the first eight vehicles in June 2023.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
