For the overseas director of Chatham-based charity Loads of Love Humanitarian Aid and Mission, hearing a nearby missile strike on a recent visit to Ukraine was a shocking experience, but he says it’s a different story for his team on the ground.
“I thought a building had collapsed beside us by the sound of it, but then I looked and I saw the cloud going up near us,” Ed Dickson said of a recent experience in Kharkiv when a missile hit within a kilometer of his vehicle.
“You don’t even know what’s happening at first. I was amazed at how the guys that were working with us were just like, ‘Oh well, another missile strike. Let’s move on.’ They’ve adapted to this new life that they have.”
Dickson, who is originally from Leamington, has split his time between Ukraine and Canada for over 25 years. He was living in Kyiv earlier this year, but returned to Canada in February, shortly before Russia began its invasion of the country.
His first trip back lasted from April 7 to April 22. He was there to work with the 40 full-time employees Loads of Love has on the ground there.
Dickson and Loads of Love’s Kevin Broadwood flew into Warsaw, Poland and had colleagues take them to Poland’s border with Ukraine, where they walked across.
Loads of Love also shipped over two containers to Poland that were taken into Ukraine. Dickson said the first container had one million meals and the second had 500,000 meals, plus medical items.
When they got to Lviv in western Ukraine, Dickson said they heard sirens, which meant rockets were on their way. However, he said the locals told him Ukraine has been able to shoot down the majority in that region.
“We moved all across the country,” he said. “Obviously, when we were on the most eastern side of the country was when we were in the most danger.”
Dickson said Loads of Love workers have been evacuating bomb shelters in the Kharkiv area in eastern Ukraine. He said they have moved over 5,000 people and have delivered food to about 30,000 families across the country since the war started.
Dickson spent two days himself evacuating people in the Kharkiv area.
“You could hear the bombs and missiles going off in the horizon where the fighting is, almost like how you hear a thunderstorm coming,” he said.
“Just being that close to it and knowing how our workers were risking their lives every day, it was a little bit humbling how brave they’re being right now. Just seeing that first-hand, obviously, was a bit life changing.”
Dickson said finding people who hadn’t eaten for five or six days confirmed that his organization is “doing the right thing” by bringing meals and support to people on the ground.
He will be speaking about his experiences at Grace Christian Reformed Church at 255 Tweedsmuir Ave. W. in Chatham on May 19. The event is a hymn sing fundraiser to support Loads of Love’s efforts in Ukraine. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the event begins at 7 pm