Operation Safedrop

The Mission

SafeDrop in Figures

Number of people evacuated: 3,006

Van loads of aid delivered: 468

Tonnes of aid delivered: 1,382

People fed for a week: 31,462

Civilians provided clothing & bedding: 111,000

Days of drinking water delivered: 22,941

Medical items to hospitals: 19.2 million

People supplied with hygiene and sanitary goods for a month: 285,935

Hours of volunteer translation: 8,900

Visa applications supported: 620

Blood type tests provided: 1,200

Medical evacuations conducted: 30

Our mission is currently covering 4 key objectives to provide support and assistance as necessary to the following:

1. Source and deliver aid to locations across Ukraine, including by working with trusted partners to verify and prioritize types of aid and delivery locations.
2. Extract vulnerable groups and individuals from frontline and unsafe locations within Ukraine to our base in Lviv and across the border to Poland with ou specialist extraction teams.
3. Provide specialist medical evacuation for patients from Southern & Eastern Ukraine to receive specialist treatment in the EU.
4. Rebuild homes and community facilities during the war and critical infrastructure after the war.

The Cause

MAD Foundation’s Operation SafeDrop has been working on the ground in Poland and Ukraine since early March 2022 to assist and support Ukrainian families fleeing the conflict Our humanitarian staff and volunteers help vulnerable individuals through their entire path to safety.

MAD’s extraction team brings aid to needed locations in the East for those remaining in place and carries out extractions from those locations for women, children, and other vulnerable individuals seeking safety further west.

Our skilled volunteer translators have supported refugees through the often difficult transition through the refugee centres in Poland and navigating the transition to stable accommodation.

The Operation

The journey many Ukrainians are forced to make does not begin when they cross the border. They may be coming from prolonged times of distress, including sleeping underground, scarce food for days to weeks, and transport across Ukraine with tired or sick children. Many have only the few belongings and funds they could gather and bring at short notice while under a time of great stress. We began Operation SafeDrop initially to provide safe, efficient, and free “last mile” transportation in Poland for those fleeing the conflict but quickly expanded due to those needs within Ukraine carrying out extractions and evacuations. At the same time, we established a constant presence in Przemyl, Poland, at the humanitarian centre and other near-border locations to not only receive those we evacuate but also to provide social services and translators to all refugees coming through the Centre.

In total, MAD volunteers have spent over 8,900 hours translating and supporting families at the Przemyl Centre alone. The families we assist frequently display signs of trauma and require an empathetic, caring, and knowledgeable staff as they make decisions on how and where to find temporary settlement—worrying about being able to work in a foreign country, feed their children, and keep their families safe.

In June 2022, Operation SafeDrop established a full-time office and headquarters in Lviv.

There, our team provided advice, visa assistance, and information for those contacting us online or walking into our office for support, with a specific focus on support reaching the UK. In total MAD supported over 500 visa applications to the UK.

We increased our aid drop and evacuation capability from our Lviv base, working with other NGOs on the ground to increase aid supply and social support for families in need. As of July 2023, our vehicles and drivers have facilitated or carried out over 450 van and bus aid drops to trusted locations and MAD drivers have evacuated or transported at least 3,000 individuals escaping the conflict.

Our Medevac Programme facilitates the evacuation of Ukrainian patients to the European Union, in particular to Germany to relieve pressure on overstretched hospitals in Ukraine and to ensure they get the specialist medical care they need. We have teamed up with MSF/Doctors Without Borders, Barrier-Free Foundation and EEA International to transport patients from the active war zone areas, in southern and eastern Ukraine to reach safety and get appropriate treatment. Depending on each Ukrainian patient’s needs, they will be placed in the right care setting in Germany to receive surgery, rehabilitation and ongoing care.