René Pol from Annen provides humanitarian aid to people in Ukraine in his own way. The refurbished ambulances of ‘the ambulance doctor’ drive straight to the war zone, to provide the much-needed help there. This afternoon he donated a free ambulance to the Sailing of Freedom Foundation.
‘Extremely grateful’ is Veronika Mutsei of the Sailing of Freedom Foundation. The Ukrainian, who lives in Amsterdam, set up the foundation in March of this year, when the Russians invaded her motherland.
That help is desperately needed, she says. “Ambulances are shot and there is constant need for medical help. We try to offer that help from the Netherlands.”
Pol has been repairing old ambulances, fire trucks and water tankers for several years now. Since the war in Ukraine, the demand for ambulances in particular has grown explosively.
De Drent has already sold dozens of cars to the Mutsei foundation. “Then a little later you get photos of a broken-down car or an ambulance covered in blood. That really moves you. And it shows what a terrible situation it still is there.”
The three ambulances that Pol gives to the foundation today will go to Ukraine tomorrow. The need is high. Two members of Sailing of Freedom are driving it today to their hometown of Dortmund. “After that we drive in a day and a half to Katowice (Poland, ed.).”
One driver is originally from Crimea and knows better than anyone else what Russia is capable of. The other recently lived in Canada and was already shipping pick-up trucks to Ukraine from there. He went to live in Germany to be able to offer help more easily.”
Pol is happy to make his modest contribution to the situation in Ukraine. “This feels good,” he says. Although it is always a puzzle to get the right cars and get them in good condition, he continues to give ambulances a second life.