Some journeys begin with hope and end with laughter – though not always in the order you’d expect.
The World WONCA 2025 conference in Lisbon delivered exactly what I’d hoped for: transformative connections that will strengthen both my Australian practice and our Ukrainian partnerships. But the real revelation came through the young Ukrainian women I met – some fresh from homeland soil through the Ukraine Swiss project, others long-expatriated yet still fiercely committed to their country’s healing.
These remarkable women embodied a choice that humbles me daily: to remain and rebuild while air raid sirens wail, or to channel their skills from abroad toward a homeland in desperate need. Their quiet determination illuminated why our medical training vehicle matters so profoundly.
The Swiss Adventure (Or: How to Turn Vehicle Collection into Extreme Tourism)
Then came the notification: our donated medical training vehicle – a sturdy ex-school minibus – awaited collection in Switzerland. What followed reads like a comedy.
Picture this: 4 AM departure, missed connections, mysterious platform changes, and a driver who spoke three words of English navigating us through rain-soaked Swiss countryside toward what we thought was “around the corner” but turned out to be an hour’s journey into darkness. The closed tunnel requiring frantic multilingual phone calls (including Russian, which although it is the spoken language of many Ukrainians just added to the whole picture) felt like something out of a bad movie.
The climax? A pitch-black car lot, an owner in a headlamp appearing like something out of a bad movie and us driving away in the rain wondering if we’d just completed the world’s most elaborate/dodgy vehicle handover.
Swiss parking regulations – requiring special discs and 7 AM deadlines – ensured no sleep-ins. Because apparently, even humanitarian work must observe proper municipal etiquette.
The Beautiful Truth
Beneath the travel chaos lies something profound: this vehicle, funded by your sacrificial donations, represents hope rolling on wheels. Crawling through basement thrift shops for blankets and pillows (which will journey onward to Ukrainians facing winter without power and will also allow us to sleep in the van if needed) reminded me that every contribution creates ripple effects beyond imagination.
Your generosity didn’t just purchase transportation – it bought dignity, training opportunities, and tangible hope for communities rebuilding from devastation. Each dollar stretched further than expected, each prayer felt deeply by our Ukrainian partners who understand the preciousness of international solidarity.
Looking Forward
This medical training vehicle will serve communities where such resources can mean the difference between isolation and connection, between basic care and comprehensive treatment. Doctors like the young Ukrainian women I met in Lisbon will be among those who benefit – continuing their brave work with better tools, stronger networks, and knowledge that the world hasn’t forgotten them.
Your support makes these connections possible. Every contribution, whether sacrificial or comfortable, becomes part of a larger narrative of human resilience and international compassion.
Sometimes the journey toward meaningful impact involves missed trains, mysterious car lots, and Swiss parking regulations. But the destination – hope on wheels, delivered where it matters most – makes every misadventure worthwhile.
Continue supporting Ukraine’s medical training initiatives. Your generosity travels further than you imagine.
