“There is a people of France who are just waiting for that, to be able to help!”: Saturday, an impressive citizen humanitarian convoy, launched by the baker Stéphane Ravacley, will set off from Besançon to the Ukrainian border to come to the aid to refugees.
Thanks to the loan of two coaches, Stéphane Ravacley, who became famous by leading a hunger strike for the regularization of his Guinean apprentice last year, also plans to bring Ukrainian refugees back to France, as “authorized by the French state”. .
Saturday evening, 15 trucks and vans lent by word of mouth will set off on a 2,500 kilometer journey to the border between Poland and Ukraine, via Warsaw.
The procession will transport more than 200 m3 of food (pasta, rice, baby milk…), hygiene products (diapers, sanitary towels…), medical equipment (medicines, bandages, dressings…) , blankets and other necessities for war victims.
This humanitarian treasure was built up in just a few days thanks to the donations of thousands of men, women and businesses who responded to the Besançon baker’s appeal on Facebook on February 25, the day following the troops entered. Russians in Ukraine.
“It’s like my hunger strike, I didn’t think too much,” says Stéphane Ravacley. “I said to myself that something had to be done”.
“We can’t remain indifferent,” says his friend Stéphane Nosjean, who brought the initiative to his side. “It took me to the guts in the evening watching TV: a woman running off with her kid, bombs… Today it’s them, tomorrow it might be us, my children, my wife, my mother”.
– Surge of generosity –
Created for the occasion, the association “Les convoys solidaires” is responsible for structuring the organization of this convoy and those that will follow, in conjunction with an international NGO which will take care of the distribution on site.
The outpouring of generosity is breathtaking: supermarkets offered food, villages sent dozens of pallets of goods, 50 pairs of rangers were sent from Alsace, while individuals dropped off, just in time to last day of collection, bags of all kinds under the porch of the bakery.
“The Lure hospital (Haute-Saône) even gave us two field hospitals”, marvels Mr. Ravacley.
“He’s our hero of the day”, then launches Emmanuelle Dubois, a nurse who joined the organization, pointing to a man bringing a car full of non-perishable food products and hygiene products.
Svitlana, a 57-year-old Ukrainian, who has been in France for eight years, brings her medicine and care kits: “It does us good to be kind and to help like that”, says this woman whose daughter refuses to leave the country. ‘Ukraine.
– Hive in turmoil –
The online kitty (https://www.cotizup.com/convoi-solidaire) launched to finance the trip had more than 25,000 euros on Friday evening, matched by more than 400 donors.
In addition to the donations, the human commitment is considerable: a hundred people come spontaneously every day to the 3,000 m2 warehouse lent to the association to store the donations.
In this effervescent hive, they work with efficiency and determination to sort, store and box a labyrinth of products, clothing and equipment before the departure scheduled for Saturday evening.
“We absolutely have to help people who are suffering, Ukraine is on our doorstep,” insists Gilles Treuvey, a 66-year-old volunteer. “We are there as citizens, we are small hands and if it can help, that’s the main thing.”
“I did not expect it to take on such a scale”, confides Stéphane Ravacley, the features drawn by his short nights but carried by “the force” of the mobilization.
He is convinced of it: “There is a people of France who, whatever people say, are just waiting for that, to be able to help. With this mobilization, we are an ointment once morest + Zemourian stupidity + and all extremes ” .
