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15 February 2023
On 25 February 2022, the day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Aliya Aralbayeva decided she had to do something tangible to help, which is when Medical Life Lines Ukraine (MLLU) was born.
Aliya [pictured], a lawyer originally from Kazakhstan who now lives in Wimbledon, is married to a Ukrainian and has relatives in the country, which spurred the group’s early efforts.
Since MLLU was formed Aliya, along with friends old and new, has raised enough money to buy 16 reconditioned ambulances that have been driven out to Ukraine, packed with all forms of aid – medical equipment, clothing, and food.
From the beginning MLLU worked with Prof Louise Rose MBE, a Professor of Critical Care Nursing and Head of Research Division at King’s College London, who provided contacts and helped source medical equipment. Prof Rose co-founded the Life Lines virtual visiting intensive care solution, and MLLU adopted the name to signify the collaboration.
In the blog below Aliya describes the upcoming Convoy of Hope and the continuing effort to support those in need in Ukraine. She writes:
The fundraising continues apace, and the group are currently working towards having at least six ambulances to deliver in the Convoy of Hope at the beginning of March, just after the first anniversary of the invasion.
In the last 12 months, clinics have been destroyed, and medics and supplies have been diverted to the front line. But the civilian demand for humanitarian aid and medical support is massive.
The MLLU ambulances are focusing on three key objectives. Firstly, hospitals in Ukraine have lost ambulances either due to enemy action or to support the country’s military. They urgently require good quality vehicles to provide the medical support that their civilian populations desperately need.
Secondly, vulnerable people in small communities in rural areas of Ukraine are hard to reach, their needs often unmet. The MLLU ambulances will enable small NGOs to coordinate the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid and medical support.
Finally, the ambulances arrive in Ukraine filled to the brim with medical and practical aid including dressings and medical tools, PPE, defibrillators, generators, clothes, blankets, and even toys for displaced people who have lost everything.
The MLLU team is identifying specific hospitals and projects where their donated ambulances can make a real difference, as well as the exact type of vehicles that will do the best possible job for them. With this information, we are tracking down the right vehicles to buy, ensuring they are in good condition, and delivering them to Ukraine.
Each ambulance costs around £15,000 to buy, recondition and deliver - so any donations, however big or small, would be hugely appreciated. It is very easy to donate by going to www.
Sadly, one year on the Russian aggression is targeting the Ukrainian population with even greater privations and misery. It is more important than ever to extend a genuine hand of friendship to the blameless civilians who are the innocent victims of these callous and relentless acts.
In this video below, Aliya chats about the Convoy of Hope, and recalls her experience of delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine:
