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A Scottish student who sold his graphics card to buy an ambulance is driving to the Ukrainian border to donate the emergency vehicle as well as medical supplies to benefit war victims.
Umran Ali Javaid traded the computer device for cash and used his savings and money from his mother to make up the rest of the £2,500 cost of the ambulance.
Speaking to The National, Mr Javaid said he plans to set off from his home town of Glasgow on Friday and take a ferry from Newcastle to the Netherlands before driving to the Medyka crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border, where charity staff will be waiting for him.
The Scotsman said he is determined to keep his 100 per cent attendance record and not miss any classes at Glasgow Caledonian University, where he is a third-year student studying international tourism and events.
“Everyone is trying to help in the best way they can and I know that I can help in this way,” he said.
“The ambulance will be used to transport injured people and disabled people. It’s heartbreaking [to see] what’s going on in Ukraine. In most wars, civilians have to pay the highest price, so I’m going to go there.”
While his plan clearly involves a mammoth effort and lots of planning, the student is not overwhelmed by the 2530-kilometre journey that lies ahead of him.
“It’s not a big deal what I am doing, it’s going to take me four days maximum,” he said.
Mr Javaid plans to fill the ambulance with medical supplies as he drives towards Medyka, where he will be met by charity workers helping Ukrainians escaping the Russian invasion.
Once in Ukraine, the ambulance will be used to distribute supplies and transport civilians out of immediate danger.
After handing over the vehicle and donations, Mr Javaid plans to take a flight back to Scotland in time for class on Tuesday.
In recent years, he has become an old hand at navigating long trips to deliver aid to war victims.
The aspiring events manager has delivered more than 30 second-hand ambulances to war zones around the world including Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Yemen and Burma.
The Syrian war stands out in his mind as his most harrowing experience.
“It was very bad there, there were a lot of bombings,” he recalled.
“If you had to see the things that I have seen … sometimes it makes me feel bad when I come back to the UK and everything is hunky-dory, so I want to help more.
“It does take its toll on you. It’s sad seeing a human being in a bad place. It makes me appreciate what we have here.”
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This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows destroyed and burning warehouse buildings in Stoyanka, Ukraine, in the western Kyiv region, during the Russian invasion. AP -
Children shelter in a metro station in Kharkiv. Moscow said on March 10, 2022, that it will open daily humanitarian corridors to allow civilians fleeing fighting in Ukraine to reach Russian territory, despite Kyiv insisting that no evacuation routes should lead to Russia. AFP -
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a videoconference meeting with government members at the Kremlin in Moscow. The meeting focuses on minimising the effects of sanctions on the Russian economy. Russian troops entered Ukraine on February 24, prompting the country's president to declare martial law and triggering a series of severe economic sanctions imposed by western countries. EPA -
Rescuers work among remains of buildings damaged by an air strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, as Russia's attack on the country continues. Reuters -
Members of the National Guard of Ukraine, Oleksandr and Olena, listen to a priest at their wedding in Ukraine. Reuters -
People fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine warm up by a fire near the train station in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters -
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Ukrainian soldiers walk past a monument of the city founder Duke de Richelieu, covered with sand bags for protection, in Odessa, Ukraine. Reuters -
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, centre, and Ukranian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. EPA -
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in talks with Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba during a tripartite meeting chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Antalya, Turkey. AP -
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova speaks to the media as the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia and Turkey hold talks in Antalya, 15 days after Russia launched a military invasion on Ukraine. AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman says goodbye to his girlfriend before departing in the direction of Kyiv at the central train station in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. AFP -
Valerii Sushkevych, president of the Ukraine National Paralympic Committee, and the Ukraine delegation raise their fists and pose with a banner at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games. Reuters -
A member of the Ukrainian team cries during a moment of silence at the Zhangjiakou athletes village during the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games. AFP -
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, right, and Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kubela, second left, in Antalya, Turkey. AFP -
A man is supported after crossing the Irpin river while fleeing the town of Irpin, Ukraine. AP -
People are helped out of a damaged children's hospital following a Russian air strike in the southeastern city of Mariupol, Ukraine. AFP -
A man rides a bicycle in front of an apartment building that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol. AP -
A woman carries two babies after arriving at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP -
A man hugs an elderly woman after crossing a damaged bridge as they flee from the frontline town of Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. EPA -
Local residents cook at a makeshift camp next to a checkpoint in Kyiv. EPA -
Ukrainian men chop wood at a makeshift camp next to a checkpoint in Kyiv. EPA -
A member of the Territorial Defence Forces learns how to use a Javelin missile during a training session in Kyiv. EPA -
Members of the Territorial Defence Forces learn how to give first aid during the training session. EPA -
A woman rescued from the outskirts of Kyiv holds a plate of food after arriving at a triage point in the Ukrainian capital. AP -
A woman cries after arriving at the triage point in Kyiv. AP -
Civilian vehicles drive past a destroyed Russian tank as they leave Irpin. AP -
Ukrainian servicemen stand in a foxhole in Irpin. AP -
People gather on a platform to board a train leaving Odesa after the US said Russian troops are making preparations to attack the city. AFP -
A Ukrainian woman looks for food in a bin in Odesa's city centre. AFP -
Ukrainian servicemen look towards Russian positions outside the city of Brovary, east of Kyiv. AFP -
A man walks past a shelled house at the village of Velyka Dymerka, east of Kyiv. AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman stands at a check point in the vilage of Velyka Dymerka east of Kyiv. AFP -
A Ukrainian woman plays with her child in a temporary refugee shelter in Przemysl, Poland. Reuters -
A woman waits outside a maternity and children's hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP -
A pregnant woman leaves the hospital after she was wounded when it was bombed. AP -
A woman waits outside the damaged hospital in Mariupol. AP -
A man wounded by shelling in Mariupol. AP -
A car burns after the destruction of the children's hospital in Mariupol. Reuters -
A mortuary worker wheels a stretcher used to move dead bodies before they are buried on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP
The 3.5-tonne vehicle was purchased in Newcastle and was previously used to transport patients in the north of England.
Dr Pauline Bell, senior lecturer in fashion and marketing at GCU and one of Mr Javaid's tutors, said: “Umran is a remarkable, unassuming young man who is an inspiration to others.
“He thinks little of using his spare time to help others and embarking on incredible journeys to deliver ambulances to people in need.”
