My Account of a Convoy to Kosovo-March 2008

I initially got to know of 'Hope and Aid Direct' (HAAD) through showing an interest in the charity work that some of my family members were taking part in at the time. I had recently graduated from university and I knew that I wanted to do something constructive and something that would involve me helping others but I just didn't have a clue how to go about it. There were so many choices I had in front of me, with all the different charities and the range of possible locations that those charities focussed on. Before long, I realised that I needed to seek advice.

This is when Maggie Beecher, my Aunt, recommended that it might be a good idea for me to take part in the next HAAD convoy to Kosovo. I followed this up by making contact with Charles Storer, who was more than happy to have me on board and for me to take part in the forthcoming convoy. I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about what was in store for me, and what the country would be like? How bad was the situation? …. looking back I don't even know what I was worried about in the first place.

The week that I spent there in September of 2007 was one of the most eye opening experiences I could have hoped for. To see first hand what living conditions are like in Kosovo and to meet the people who lived in these conditions day in day out was amazing. What surprised me the most I think wasn't the fact that the area I went to was so bad, it was that the whole country was suffering and that quickly became apparent to me after talking to one of the locals called 'Fatlum'. The place we live in today is so different to where they are living.

· Instead of police I saw NATO peacekeeping troops
· Huge pressures on the Infrastructure caused by mines and other explosives
· Houses with no windows nor doors, just bricks and mortar
· I did not see one Fire engine or ambulance
· I visited a hospital that can barely be called a hospital because of such a lack of medical equipment and supplies
· Countless roadside graveyards for soldiers lost during the war

So, upon arrival back to the UK, I decided that I was going to do more to help these people. I started taking part in charity fundraisers with the next convoy in mind knowing I wanted to return as soon as I could on the next convoy. By the time March had rolled around I had raised enough money to cover my flights out there along with enough to donate towards the cost of the trucks driving through Europe. I had received plenty of aid in the form of school equipment, clothing, shoes and medical equipment from fundraising events and I was ready for my next convoy. I decided this time to make a diary of events that happened over the course of the 4 days I was out there, I had a feeling that this time the convoy would be very different due to the fact that there was political unrest because of the independence of Kosovo from Serbia which had occurred just weeks before. I also wanted to record my experiences so I could share with others the good and the bad times I had in while I was in Kosovo. 

Wednesday 19^th March 2008

After arriving in the afternoon from a short flight across Europe, I realised as I was coming off the plane and walking through the airport that the crowd I had been with on the last convoy were not here this time, instead I was meeting new people, some of which had been doing convoys for years and some who like me in September were on their first convoy. We left the airport and travelled just over an hour to the place we were saying. On the journey I had plenty of time to look around and re-familiarise myself with the surroundings. The remainder of that day and the whole of the following day Thursday 20^th we spent in the warehouse we had been allocated. This period was dedicated to planning and organisation. Unloading the lorries, sorting out what aid needed to go where and reloading the lorries according to the drops that were going to be carried out on the Friday

Friday 21^st

On Friday morning, I was told at the 9am briefing that I would be going with 'Busby' (name of the lorry) to one location about an hour away with three other convoyers Tom, David and Claire. At this location we were told that we would be giving aid to 35 families. All these families were made up of single mums and I would say each family had on average maybe 6 or 7 children, all without a Father. Some helpers from the Mother Theresa Society helped with the distribution of the aid and kept some order so that every family got their fair share. After this we returned to the warehouse at about 4pm ready to load the lorry for the Saturdays drop.
   
Saturday 22^nd

Saturday was probably the most productive day. I was with 'Nibsy' which was made up of 4 convoyers: Bill, Norman, Ian and myself. We were taking a full lorry load to a nearby dropping point where we would meet The Red Cross and distribute to over 70 families. Some members of the public kindly offered to help with getting the aid to those who needed it. But yet more people who needed help were coming around to the side of the lorry where we could see, just across an old, unused railway line, that there was a small gypsy camp. The children were brown skinned because they hadn't cleaned themselves for what must have been months, mothers pleading for something to give the baby they held in their arms and the fathers trying to reason with the workers from The Red Cross. Unfortunately we didn't have enough aid for the additional families but there was a determination to help them too.  Upon arriving back at the warehouse, the issue was raised and there was a brief discussion on what should or could be done. The subject appeared to change, and this frustrated me, but there was better news to come.

Sunday 23^rd

I spent Sunday helping out in the warehouse with a few others. There were only a few more drops to be done and the warehouse needed organising and clearing up. After spending most of the day there sorting boxes and crates with Ed, Anna and Fatlum I was relieved to hear that Ian and a few others were delivering leftover aid to the gypsy area we had seen the previous day. Most of the aid was made up of tins of food and clothing, so to accompany the aid we gave each family a tin opener and for one particularly desperate family, a large garment they could use as shelter from the wind to put over the 4 sheets of wood they called their home. After dropping all the aid and leaving the area, I felt a huge sense of self-satisfaction that finally, an area of this country that is totally neglected was noticed and given something to help them get by.

Monday 24^th

After a relaxing night on Sunday all that was left to do was pack, take some last photos and say goodbye to everyone. The weather had deteriorated massively overnight and by now it was snowing very heavily. On the way to the airport we could see that there were some lowland areas that were completely submerged underneath a white blanket of snow. The mountains were very picturesque but the alarming fact was that the temperature had dropped by over 12 degrees. At this point the only thing I could think of is how all 6 members of that poor family we gave the blanket to yesterday would be huddled together. I hope that on another convoy  maybe we could return to that particular location. I know that nothing will have changed, but at least aid will be going to people who badly need our help.

Although finding the areas, which needed the aid, seemed to be achievable because of the help received from The Mother Theresa Society, the problem seemed to be finding the people who needed the aid the most. The areas we delivered to in most cases had groups of people who were poorer than others and sometimes seemed as if they were being ignored. I know that not everyone can be reached but if these people do not get help, surely this will defeat the object of trying to achieve equality within Kosovo?

I would say to anyone thinking about convoying to Kosovo that they should get involved. The experiences I have had from only 2 convoys have been enough for me to feel I have made a difference and also I have made a few friends along the way. Everyone at Hope and Aid Direct took me in and made me feel welcome right from the word go because I had the right attitude. I realised right from the very start that this was no regular day at the office and one of the most satisfying aspects of the whole experience for me was working harder than I ever have ever worked before and at the end of it all not receiving a penny for what I had contributed. This was what made the whole thing so worthwhile 

Oli Stephens
Kosovo Easter 2008