A rental industry appeal is targeting 10,000 ‘desperately needed’ generators for Ukraine as freezing winter temperatures grip the war-torn country.
The Plant & Hire Aid Alliance has launched the Power to Ukraine initiative in association with Rotary International.
Following repeated attacks on the power grid and other critical infrastructure, many Ukrainians get just three hours of electricity per day. Winter temperatures in the capital, Kyiv, can reach as low as -4°C in the daytime and -11°C at night.
Ukraine president Zelensky said that generators had become ‘as important as armour in helping Ukraine to survive this winter’.
95 generators have already been sent directly from the factory to Ukraine, as part of the Alliance Christmas appeal. This was thanks to a donation of £25,000 from Gary McArdle, president of Rail Services in the US. These generators have been put to use in the Institutes of Neurology, Psychiatry and Narcology, where staff treat both military and civilian casualties.
“A donation of £270 is enough to buy and send a generator to Ukraine, to help keep these families warm,” said Jeremy Fish, CEO of Ardent Hire which set up the Alliance. “This includes the elderly, as well as small children and babies, who are at serious risk from the cold. We have all recently experienced the misery of bitterly cold weather, but just imagine going through that with no power for heating. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
“Working with Rotary International, we’re appealing to colleagues across the UK and around the world to join us to help reach this ambitious target of 10,000 generators.”
To ensure the generators reach those in the greatest need, the Alliance is working with the 69 Rotary Clubs across Ukraine, which will help distribute them and confirm they have only been provided directly to those intended. A website has been created where aid workers will register each recipient including the details of the family or group, along with a declaration that the generator is being used as intended.
To find out more, visit aid-alliance.com
