Student donates ambulance to Ukraine relief effort
A Glasgow Caledonian University student has bought an ambulance and will drive it to the Polish-Ukrainian border to help refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.
Umran Ali Javaid will hand over the patient transport ambulance to a charity in Poland after buying the vehicle for £2,500 in the UK.
The International Tourism and Events student, who has previously delivered more than 30 second-hand ambulances to conflict zones in Burma, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, will set off tomorrow, bound for the Medyka border crossing.
It's hoped the ambulance will be used within Ukraine to distribute supplies and transport civilians out of immediate danger.
Umran said: "One ambulance can only help a few hundred people but there are tens of thousands in need.
"It is heartbreaking to see what is happening over there. The ambulance can be used to transport disabled people, older people, or can be filled up with medical supplies.
"In war, it's always the innocent civilians that suffer. I feel as if I have to do something to help."
The 3.5-tonne vehicle was bought in Newcastle and was previously used as a patient transport service for patients in the north of England.
Umran, a third-year undergraduate student at GCU, plans to fill it with aid when he arrives in mainland Europe this weekend.
He added: "I have travelled a lot and I've seen the impact war has on civilians first-hand.
"At times of crisis, these areas need supplies and they need patient transport."
Umran and his family, who live in the west end of Glasgow, funded the cost of the ambulance themselves.
The planned route includes a ferry crossing from Newcastle to the Netherlands, Germany, then Poland.
Dr Pauline Bell, senior lecturer in fashion and marketing at GCU and one of Umran's tutors, said: "Umran is a remarkable, unassuming young man who is an inspiration to others.
"He thinks little of using his spare time to help others and embarking on incredible journeys to deliver ambulances to people in need."