Malin School Visit. Part one.

During one of my visits to Malin hospital, girls from no.1 School who had voluteered to translate for me at the hospital asked if I would like to see their School. I said I would be happy to go to see a Ukrainian School as it would be very interesting for me as I had not been in any schools in Ukraine. I was also invited to go on a hunt for wild Boar by friends, but I declined their offer as I had already accepted the Schools offer. Next morning Anton the Doctors son took me to a very large building which was down at a lower level from our vantage point,he pointed to doors in the middle and said, that's the entrance I will see you later and left.
Making my way down past a large World War 2 monument,I approached the entrance,wondering where my Schoolgirl hosts were. Pushing through the old worn doors I saw I was in a large reception area, over to my left sat a woman behind a desk,I was just about to go over and try to explain in my limited Russian why I was there,when she indicated that I should keep going forward. I suddenly became aware that there was a large crowd of girls, boys, and what I assumed to be teachers standing in rows.
I thought I had arrived at the wrong time, probably some sort of school function was taking place. I started to walk over to the side out of the way, where I could wait for someone, anyone, to come to my rescue!
I heard a shout ,Mr.Gillies, Mr.Gillies turning round I saw Anastasia one of my tranlators heading towards me, this way she said leading the way towards the assembled crowd. Girls and boys dressed in Ukrainian dress offered me a circular loaf of crusty bread, in the middle a section of bread had been removed,and filled with salt.It was handed a piece of bread which I was asked to dip in the salt and eat. Anastasia explained that I was getting a Traditional welcome, and the local Press and TV reporters were there to cover the story of my visit. I was amazed, it was indeed a school function but to welcome me!

Inside Malin Hospital,Ukraine.

Journey back to Scotland

I watched the ballot boxes being opened and emptied on large tables pushed together to allow about 20 people and officials. They worked fast each person collecting a pile of ballot papers and sorting them into batches. When they were finished sorting, a woman standing at one end of the table took the batches of ballot papers lifting them one at a time reading out who's name was on the ballot paper. All you heard her saying was Yanacovich,or Yushchenko in a loud clear voice. At the end of all this the ballot papers were put in large sealed envelopes to be taken to a secure building in the city where only people of official standing could enter to see the final results from all the Polling Stations in the Region.We left Dnepropetrovsk the following morning to return to Kiev. On the way home we stopped at a roadside memorial cross to a politician called Chernobyl who died at this spot when his car ran into a large blacked out truck parked across the road one dark night. When I left Kiev on a bus to Belgium it was night time and the bus passed many bonfires surrounded by supporters of Yushchenko, chanting his name. In Lvov cars full of young men drove round and round the streets shouting Yushchenko,Yushchenko and sounding the car horns in a pattern like his name.It was unlike any other political scenarios I had seen. A few years later the Ukrainian people have become disillusioned with the Political landscape.On my arrival in Scotland I continued to follow the News about Ukraine holding another, election free of corruption.

Orange Revolution, next blog the end game

I was in the tent city and Kiev city centre in freezing conditions all night waiting to see if special forces would arrive to break up the massive demonstration of people power.A photo journalist friend escorted me as I talked with the tent city demonstrators, surprisingly many of them understood English. There was a young lawyer with her brother and a friend in one tent, wrapped up well against the bitter cold.She said they were worried about the possibility of special forces arriving but were resolute in their determination that elections must be corruption free. Young and old alike had come in the thousands filling Kreshatik Street the main square and surrounding areas. At regular intervals the chant "Yushchenko, Yushchenko,Yushchenko, began the noise increasing as more voices joined in. My friend's girlfriend arrived from another part of Ukraine, she and some others had been detained by security forces on their way to Kiev and held for a few hours while being questioned why were they going to Kiev. I understood her concern as I had been to Dnipropetrovski a large industrial city 500 Km. East of Kiev during the previous 48 hours.I went with a group of friends and they were worried in case our vehicle would be stopped and they would be detained for questionong. Coming from the West I was not used to travelling with this type of potential threat present at the many police roadside control posts. Fortunately we made it through without being stopped.
On arrival at the city we were able to get accomodation in an apartment,when the old person who lived there,moved in with a nearby relative and allowed us to use the apartment. Next day we went round various polling stations, one polling station with loud music playing through speakers outside had women running a temporary tea room inside with tea,coffee, soft drinks, and food. I think this idea could work in UK!
I was allowed to film voters in the polling station,and also later in another larger polling station I filmed the ballot boxes being opened and votes being counted.

Orange Revolution. part one. more on my next blog

I was in Ukraine in 2004 during the demonstrations against fraudulent elections. I watched as hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens blocked central Kiev. There were families with their children, old people, students, lawyers, homeless people, farm workers, many had travelled to Kiev from other towns and villages. Tent City which started in Kiev's main Street was expanding by the hour, as more and more protesters arrived. During the night I had to admire the Tent City residents enduring freezing temperatures, in their determination to change the Political landscape in Ukraine. In
the Mydan ( Kiev's main Square ) a huge screen loomed above the crowds. The live show taking place on the stage below,with singers and political figures was also on screen.
The enthusiasm of the crowds listening to the singers,and political speakers was amazing, but when Viktor Yushchenko appeared on stage to speak to his supporters the crowds went wild, cheering and chanting his name. A strong rumour was circulating that at railway sidings east of Kiev a train full of Russian troops had arrived ready to be sent to disperse the crowds.Was this true,if so on whose orders. People became apprehensive,what to do.

Vigil Photo 24 April 2009.

The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Bob Winter came over to my 23 Chernobyl Vigil to offer his support.

The Incubator second attempt.

I was determined to get the life saving Incubator to the hospital despite it being returned to the UK. Edinburgh has a Ukrainian Consulate and when I contacted them they
offered to help me get the Incubator into Ukraine without having to pay the import tax of £320. Although it took a few months the Consulate were able to obtain the neccesary Custom clearance which would allow the Incubator free entry into the country.
I contacted GB. Medical, paid £250 for a second international transport to Kiev by TNT International Transport and began making arrangemants for my annual visit to the Ukrainian hospital in Malin. When I eventually arrived at the hospital I would be able to see that the maternity Dept. had at long last received their incubator.
In November 2006 I arrived at the hospital with money to buy medicine and I also had some small medical items. The Doctors were as usual happy to get the aid I had brought for the children, but when I asked about the Incubator they were distraught. I was taken to the maternity Dept. where I saw my Incubator so badly damaged it could not be used. I was shattered by this,all those months of planning,and donated money wasted. When I contacted TNT International regarding compensation they told me that as around ten or twelve days had elapsed between the Incubator arriving at the hospital and my arrival I would get not a penny of compensation. I told them that the Doctor who signed for the Incubator had to sign at the Zheetomir Customs holding area without seeing the Incubator, she did not know it was damaged. When the Incubator was collected from the Zheetomir Customs by the hospital,they had to wait until I arrived to show me the damage. On my return to Scotland later that month I tried contacting various TNT Depots in the UK for help regarding compensation but to no avail. However Claire Grant a Reporter for my local newspaper, Cumbernauld News,
contacted TNT and asked them to reconsider, the outcome was that TNT told her that
if I was able to buy another Incubator, TNT would transport it to Ukraine free of charge. This said TNT's Mr.Walker was not an admission of guilt on their part. There
was no way for me to be able to get another Incubator as I had no more money,and after all the bureaucracy and not our problem, its your problem with TNT I put this project on hold until I work out a better plan of action.