MAD Foundation

OPERATION SAFE DROP
Support Families in Ukraine in need of Urgent Assistance
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The Cause
When Ukrainian refugees arrive across the border, they have already survived a long and dangerous journey that may have involved sleeping underground, scarce food for days, or walking many miles with tired or sick children.

Some of the refugees have a friend, relative, or volunteer host located in Poland or elsewhere in Europe that they are trying to reach but many have nowhere to go.

With few belongings and limited access funds when they arrive at the border, their first stop is often a humanitarian aid centre but it is only a temporary one.

Once at the centre they need to figure out how to get to a more permanent solution.

At the borders, the government, NGOs from around the world, and individual volunteers have provided incredible transitory support, including assisting with transportation by existing transport systems and providing food, medical, child care, and other resources but in the end, each and every Ukrainian fleeing from the crisis needs a more permanent accommodation and a safe way to get there.
The Operation
Our Operation is working to provide support and transportation to get women and children safely directly to their needed destination after crossing the border. Not only does this assist the families and their loved ones but also relieves the pressure on the border refugee camps. We aim to provide a safe, efficient, and free "last mile" transportation for those who were forced to make this journey to keep their children safe and to support and assist all those arriving at humanitarian centres as they continue their difficult journey.

Our initial aim after Ukraine was invaded was provide a safe, efficient, and free "last mile" transportation for those who were forced to make this journey to keep their children safe and to support and assist all those arriving at humanitarian centres as they continue their difficult journey. Since then we have evolved very quickly as more needs have been identified and our mission is now covering 6 key objectives to provide support and assistance as necessary to the following :
Move vulnerable groups and individuals from the Border and Refugee Centres to their family and existing friends throughout Poland and Europe.
Assist in bringing back refugees who have no transport, in particular from rural areas as and when corridors are open, from within Ukraine and into safety.
Sourcing and delivering small-batch aid and supplies Ukraine by gathering family-by-family aid requests from refugees, compiling and packaging aid for their loved ones that remain in Ukraine, and arrange delivery.
Assist Ukrainians needing to the get to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme by providing translation and host matching services, transportation to and from the Home Office’s Visa Assistance Centre and provide accommodation nearby to help prepare them for their journey to the UK once their visa is processed.
Assist those who are then ready to leave to the UK with suitable transport depending on the circumstances using Operation SafeDrop chaperones on government sponsored trains and buses, our own private vehicles for remote rural locations and those with health and trauma issues, including flights as and when available.
Once Ukraine is back to a position of stability, support and assist families to return to the homes and their loved ones who could not leave due and had to stay and fight.
Our Volunteer Work
Our Partners
MAD Foundation and Operation SafeDrop partners in Poland
United Kingdom Information Hub, Warsaw Train Station
Partnering with Andrew Sparke and Edward Pinkney who established and maintain an information hub in Warsaw. Their team provides:
Information about visas to the Unite Kingdom and other English-speaking destinations
Access to sponsors in the UK
Information on the rights of Ukrainian refugees living in the UK
Advice on transportation options and cost
Pet transportation information
Help for Kharkiv
Partnering with Help for Kharkiv, a grassroots humanitarian relief effort based out of the Przemyśl Train Station. Their team provides:
Door to door aid delivery to families and communities in Kharkiv
Information and assistance to refugees arriving at the station on how to continue their travel
Purchasing and sending medicine and requested medical equipment for resident of Kharkiv
GoAbroad Foundation
Troy Peden, GoAbroad's Founder, and his son Santiago initiated our presence on the ground by partnering with 2 humanitarian centres looking to safely transport vulnerable families to their relatives within Poland and into Germany. These missions set the path for Operation SafeDrop to establish a stable footing to build on and together we continue to collaborate across US and UK support networks.