The ambulances were funded as part of the Ukraine is Calling campaign – an international fundraising initiative spearheaded by LUkraine, the Luxembourgish nonprofit. The campaign, which recently won the 2023 European Citizen’s Prize from the European Parliament, is aiming to send 112 emergency vehicles (ambulances and firetrucks) over to Ukraine.
With the addition of these five ambulances, the grand total of the initiative has risen to 52 rescue vehicles delivered to Ukraine so far.
The latest five ambulances were funded through the efforts of various Luxembourgish communities includingVoice, Art and Social, CinEast, and the Commune of Bettembourg.
Voice, Art and Social is a non-profit that supports local art, be it music, visual art or theatre, and social projects at the same time.
One of the organisation’s painters, Keith Grant, was shocked by Russian military aggression and was inspired to create a set of four paintings about Ukraine’s resistance. The full profits from two of his paintings, ‘From a Ukrainian Child’s Room’ and ‘When You are Gone’ were donated to the Ukraine is Calling project.
To demonstrate solidarity while raising awareness, Voice, Art and Social also collaborated with Luxembourgish and Ukrainian artists to compose and produce a song titled, ‘Fir zesumme stark ze sinn. To be strong together.’ They also organized a charity live concert called the Symphony of Solidarity event.
Through all its work, Voice, Art and Social raised a total of 27,000 euros to the Ukraine is Calling project.
Another crucial partner has been CinEast, the Central and Eastern European Film Festival, which dedicated this year’s festival to Ukraine. Not only did they promote Ukraine’s cinema industry, the festival also donated a total of 13,000 euros to the cause.
This was the second time CinEast has partnered up with LUkraine. In 2022 they purchased an ambulance and 31 sleeping bags, and actively contributed to LUkraine’s Kits for Kids initiative, which delivers packages of food essentials for kids in frontline territories in Ukraine, as well as organizing charity movie screenings.
And last but certainly not least, the Commune of Bettembourg provided 1,000 euros to make the purchase a reality.
Nicolas Zharov, the President of LUkraine, expressed his deep appreciation to everyone who supported the campaign. “Now, more than ever, we need to consolidate our efforts to continue supporting Ukraine. We seek the solidarity of Luxembourg standing with us, and we appreciate every contribution the Luxembourgish community makes. We genuinely hope that, through joint efforts, we can provide even more support. Thank you to our Luxembourgish partners, friends, and supporters who hold Ukraine in their hearts.”
