Few people would willingly approach a war zone and if our DART volunteers; Peter and Suzie, were not quite in the front line, they were certainly closer than most of us would ever care to be. We are grateful for their commitment and humanity and are pleased that they are safely home having completed the first phase of Disaster Aid UK & Ireland’s deployment to Romania to help the people of Ukraine.
The initial objective was to help refugees fleeing Ukraine into Romania and the team arrived in Suceava, Romania on 23 March 2022 and began their assessment.
A military adage suggests that no plan survives first contact with the enemy and our deployment was similar. They found that refugees arriving in Romania were well catered for and being quickly and efficiently processed and moved on within 24/48 hours. Accordingly, when it appeared that our resources could be better used elsewhere, they sought and were granted permission to amend the objectives of the deployment. A great example of the flexibility and benefits brought by our DARTs.