An Edinburgh-based human rights lawyer and humanitarian volunteer is due to embark on a solo round-trip from Scotland to the Ukrainian border, to deliver more than £17,000 of maternity equipment to midwives and doctors, as part of Baby Lifeline’s Ukraine Appeal.
Andrea Fraser, 31, will be flying to Krakow in Poland tomorrow (Wednesday 12 October 2022), where she will pick up a fully equipped, Baby-lifeline branded first responder vehicle, which she will drive to the Ukrainian border.
Once there, she will hand over the supplies and equipment to local volunteers who will distribute them to hospitals and makeshift shelters in locations across Ukraine’s frontlines.
The Baby Lifeline specialist birth bags, as well as defibrillators, fetal dopplers, personal protective equipment (PPE), stretchers and blankets to Ukraine-based volunteers, will be used to safely deliver babies born in the aftermath of Sunday’s devastating Russian attacks.
The Baby Lifeline first responder vehicle, which has been kitted out with everything paramedics might need to safely treat casualties and deliver babies, will be donated to a hospital in Kramatorsk, an area where hospitals have recently been targeted by Russian missiles.
Next, Andrea will begin a gruelling 1,250-mile bike ride back to the UK to raise further funds to enable Baby Lifeline to send more equipment to the areas of Ukraine where it is needed most.
Since March 2022, Baby Lifeline and its supporters have donated £500,000 worth of equipment to teams in Ukraine, helping to safely deliver thousands of babies since the war began.
Andrea, who has been at the forefront of this work since the very beginning, will be ending what she calls the ‘European leg’ of her tour in Rotterdam at the beginning of next month.
She will be ferrying to London, where she needs to be for her “day job” on the 4 November, before catching a train to Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, England, cycling across the border, and ending her incredible journey at the Edinburgh headquarters of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), on the 5 November.
This is a fitting end to Andrea’s journey and reflects a six-month collaboration between Baby Lifeline and the AUGB, one of whose volunteers will be matching Andrea’s mileage, on an exercise bike at home.
Commenting on the journey ahead, Andrea Fraser said:
“It’s going to be tough, I know that, but I have to do something to draw attention to the ongoing human suffering caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the need for continued public support for organisations like Baby Lifeline, which is working closely with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) to provide the equipment needed to help safely deliver babies in the most difficult circumstances.
“The Russian onslaught has stepped up once again, and, with winter is fast approaching, I am haunted by thoughts of what innocent and vulnerable civilians, including pregnant women and birthing people, are set to go through.
“Can you imagine being forced to give birth in a warzone, separated from family, without adequate pain relief, in the freezing cold, surrounded by the sound of missiles and artillery fire?
“I could easily feel daunted about driving to the Ukrainian border, and what will be the longest bike ride of my life through four foreign countries, but it is nothing compared to what the people of Ukraine go through on a daily basis. Instead, I am focussing on them and the need to get them lifesaving equipment, as soon as possible.”
Judy Ledger, Founder and CEO of Baby Lifeline, said:
“Andrea Fraser is a truly remarkable woman, not only because she’s bravely travelling to Ukraine on her own – and then putting herself through one of the most challenging fundraising activities we, in our 40 years as a charity, have ever seen – but also because of her unrelenting dedication to helping women and babies in Ukraine.
“Since the inception of Baby Lifeline’s Ukraine Appeal, she has been at the forefront of our steering group, which has supported mothers, babies and medical professionals in Bucha, Chernihiv, Sumy, Irpin, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Vorzel, with the provision of more than £500,000 worth of equipment.
“Thousands of babies continue to be born in the most horrific circumstances, and we have to continue to do what we can to support them. Andrea, you are an inspiration. Thank you for everything.”
Click here to find out more and to donate to Baby Lifeline’s Ukraine Appeal.