Electric convoy for Ukraine
A Shercock man who arranged a convoy of electric car owners to transport Ukrainian refugees from Poland to Ireland is preparing for a rerun of the adventure.
“Having brought back 94 Ukrainian refugees on our first convoy, we’re heading off again this Thursday,” Tom McEnaney told the Celt. “Almost all of the families booked for the return journey to Ireland have much loved pets with them.”
The round trip is almost 5,000 kilometres. “I think we have 11 cars this time,” Tom told the Celt.
“This time we are taking back 39 refugees. Almost all of them have pets. That’s why they are choosing to come by car, we are prioritising people for that reason, people who would find it difficult to secure flights.”
Tom felt compelled to undertake the journey when the first images of the suffering of the Ukranian people emerged: “I have been involved in a charitable project in Eastern Europe for decades. I have written about it in the Celt, among other papers. I was looking at the TV and, like many people, I was moved to do something.
“I wanted to get into my car, drive over, pick them up and drive back. I realised that was not a practical solution, but then I thought if I did it as part of a bigger group maybe it might be possible. I reached out the The Tesla Owners Group, of which I am a member, and said who wants to go along? A dozen people put their hand up and we had our first convoy,” he said.
After arriving home at the end of March, a repeat trek was far from his mind: “When we did the first one, we had no idea we would do a second one. Given that that is the case, and we are now doing a second one, I would be slow to predict there won’t be a third.
“We will see, if there is a demand for a third we may go again, there is likely to be a demand. For many people a pet is a member of the family, so if they need to escape, there aren’t a huge number of options, but we provide an option.”
Tom says the plight of the refugees is heart-rending: “Even if the accommodation options in Ireland are limited it’s better than facing missiles and mass slaughter.”
The 94 people who availed of the electric car convoy last March are settling in to Irish life: “They are getting on really well. We have accommodation for almost all of them. We have secured jobs for some of them, we are trying to get some into school, one girl is going to college.
“It’s not something we expected. When you spend two days living with someone in your car, you form a bond.”
Tom is the founder of the International Orphanage Development Programme (IODP), which has worked to improve the lives of orphans in Ukraine’s neighbour Belarus for more than two decades.
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