We Happy Few: Scottish Charity That Delivers 4x4s to Ukraine to Save Lives.

People across Britain will remember the morning of the 24th of February well. As millions across the country rose from their beds and prepared to go to work, they would begin to see the news spreading. Whether from a glance at the TV before they left the house or scrolling through Facebook on the back of a bus, the word was spreading to everyone. Russia had done what many thought was “highly unlikely,” and invaded Ukraine.

Images of apartment buildings being destroyed, tanks rolling into Kharkiv, and thousands of distressed women and children fleeing for their lives were spread across everyone’s screens. Edinburgh man Dominic Harris, describes the moment he found out what was happening:

“I remember crying while watching news reports on the conflict. I felt terrible for the people who had to flee their homes… but I was specifically upset for those who couldn’t escape the carnage.”

Almost nineteen months have passed since the first images of war appeared on television, and there still appears to be no end in sight. With governments providing no effective means to stop the bloodshed, a small few across the globe have taken it upon themselves to help make a difference. Edinburgh-based charity Jeeps for Peace is one such group that prioritises ending the bloodshed rather than letting it continue.   

Jeeps for Peace (J4P) was founded to give humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people and military by driving donated 4x4s from Scotland to Ukraine. The vehicles are typically filled with additional supplies, such as dried food, medical equipment, and car batteries.

For an organisation still in its first year to be so well established in its means and methods, it’s fascinating to hear of its humble origins. When asked how the organisation began, all leading charity members unanimously give the same answer: “Football” – particularly “Kids’ Football.”

Four founding members of the charity – Adam Beasley, Stewart Ford, Dominic Harris, and Jigme Tarap – met through their children's weekly football practice in Edinburgh. Beasley, whose wife acts as the coach for the children, says of the charity’s origins:

“It all happened by chance, really. Stewart, Dom, and Jigme's kids would all be there to play, and my wife is their coach. Over a few months… making small talk as we waited for the game to finish grew into us dedicating ourselves to making this idea of full-fledged organisation a reality."

(L-R) Gordon Cunningham (Vol), Adam Beasley, Dominic Harris, Vasyl Madiar, Richard Reid (Vol), Stewart Ford.

What united all four – though they did not yet know it – was the fact that they were all already involved in Ukrainian relief aid work. Harris, the credited founder of J4P began dedicating himself to humanitarian work almost instantly after the war started. The 57-year-old musician and tour guide describes how even he is still unsure why he became so involved: “Honestly, I don’t know why I wanted to help so much. I haven’t got a Ukrainian girlfriend or anything like that,” he says jokingly, “I’d never been to Ukraine before any of this… I just had a feeling as soon as I saw what was happening, that I needed to help people in any way I could.”

Seeking a way to help save lives, Harris found himself in contact with Nick Melnyk and Galyna Madiar, a Ukrainian couple who had moved to Edinburgh in the early 2000s. Having a limited knowledge of Ukrainian, Harris needed the crucial help of Melnyk and Madiar to communicate with refugees that were currently flooding across the border into neighbouring Poland.

“A group of us went to the Ukrainian border in Poland. We got to work helping give any aid we could to Ukrainians as they fled across the border.”

Flying from Edinburgh to Berlin in March, with a small group and limited supplies, Harris hired large transport buses and drove them to Ukraine through Poland. After spending time distributing any supplies they had, the group utilised their leased vehicles to transport desperate families to Berlin. “When we reached Berlin and the families got out,” Harris describes, “a little girl came up to me and handed me a Peppa Pig figure, and then thanked me in Russian before she and her family left. It's still resonating with me today.”

In an odd coincidence, just as Harris and Madiar were aiding Ukrainian families coming across the border, Stewart Ford was also raising funds towards aid for Ukrainian refugees.

In late February 2022, Ford set up a JustGiving page, intending to raise £10,000 worth of essentials for fleeing Ukrainians, including food, sleeping bags and sanitary products. “Like many,” Ford explains, "I was deeply appalled by the sickening scenes of the Russian invasion… My wife is Polish; through her, I met some incredible people from the local Ukrainian Club in Edinburgh. After that, I knew I needed to help in any way I could."

Through a successful appeal across social media, Ford surpassed his aim, gathering more than £17,000 through donations. The donation money was used across Edinburgh to collect necessities for those most desperate, and was then personally transported to the Polish/Ukrainian border in early March.

Only after both these ventures had been completed did the parents realise their mutual experiences and desire to make a change. After further discussion, all agreed that more was needed for those remaining in the warzone. As Harris states, “I think a shift needed to be made away from helping people who have left Ukraine, and instead focus on the people who have been left behind and couldn’t escape for whatever reason.”

And so, in stands overlooking the playing fields of Spartans Community Foundation in Edinburgh, Jeeps for Peace saw its inception.

Since the initial discussion, J4P has grown into an almost living organism. All members are valued, and all bring something unique. Tarap, a supply chain specialist for Nairn’s Oatcakes, has helped the organisation secure multiple large food donations for the charity.

When sourcing the vehicles themselves, the charity will rely on private donations or purchasing them with donated funds. With a long history in business management behind him, Ford has taken the primary lead when it comes to organising the purchase of cars. “We have a rough budget of around £3000 for each car.” Ford elaborates, “Nick [Malynk] is skilled at keeping an eye out for 4x4s that are up for sale… he's travelled up and down the country – from Inverness to Galashiels – looking for cars to use. When he finds one that’ll make the journey [to Ukraine], we’ll get it on the spot.”

The Malynk/Madyar family connection has proved vital not only to the charity in Scotland, but to Ukraine itself. Vasyl Madiar, brother to Galyna, is currently the organisation's connection to the Ukrainian military. Presently residing in South/Western Ukraine, Vasyl provides J4P an avenue towards helping those needing it most. Through links to the military, Madiar arranges border crossings, coordinates the convoys to their destination, and arranges the pickup of the vehicles by military chaplains; no tiny feet when the threat of a drone strike constantly looms overhead.

Vasyl Madyar (R)

“It’s not just the military we are helping here,” Madiar emphasises, “we are also helping families.”

“Not long ago, a woman with her daughter who knew what I was doing [for J4P] approached me. She told me that her husband was in a very dangerous part of the front and that his unit needed help. She was pleading with me to help in any way we could. Through Jeeps for Peace, we were able to send a car to her husband's unit and save his life… It makes me so happy to know that we are saving lives with what we are doing here.”

Starting out as a rag-tag group of like-minded people who wanted to help make a difference, J4P has grown into a well-established non-profit powerhouse. From its first official convoy in December 2022, J4P have collected over eighty-six 4x4s, three ambulances and a speedboat for donation – the speedboat being utilised in humanitarian aid in southern Ukraine after the flooding of the Dnieper River in early June.

The success of J4P has been heavily determined by the generosity of investors, with people from across the globe paying mind to the charity. Two sisters from Jackson, Wyoming, with no prior experience in Scotland – let alone Ukraine – have stood out among the rest.

Sisters Midge Simpson and Michelle LaBounta became involved with J4P, after meeting Harris through his work as a tour guide in Italy. The pair kept in contact with Harris, and upon hearing of his involvement with J4P, they Jumped at the opportunity to lend support.

(L-R) Stewart Ford, Michelle LaBounta and Midge Simpson.

Being the descendants of frontiersmen, Simpson and LaBounta’s ancestors were among some of the first settlers in the Teton County of Wyoming, with their ancestor – Margaret Simpson – is credited with naming the town of Jackson. Simpson states, “Because of our ancestors, our family has always been involved with the community in Jackson… but never did we imagine that we would be involved with helping people half the world away.”

“I’ve always been involved with charities and trying to help people,” Simpson explains, “But I don’t know why this issue touched us the most. We just thought we should help in any way we could.”

As a show of dedication to the cause, in June of 2023, Simpson and LaBounta travelled to Scotland , intent on driving in the next convoy to Ukraine. While having never been to Scotland or Ukraine before, the women’s determination to help the cause is palpable.

The two Sisters took part in J4P's largest convoy to date, with over twenty-five pickups travelling 1,800 miles to Kolomyya. This convoy, prepared with multiple drivers for each car, a designated route, and hotel arrangements along the road, is a far cry from the first drive in December 2022. When discussing the first-ever convoy, Tarup simply describes it as “Chaotic.”

Jigme Tarup, Photographed during the convoy.

“We only had about seven jeeps together, but our organisation was all over the place, our maps weren’t taking us the right way, people were getting lost… compared to our most recent trips, it’s almost night and day.”

Indeed, since their first trip in December, the charity has seen a meteoric rise in success. Including the value of the cars, supplies and medical equipment, the organisation estimates that they have acquired roughly £750,000 worth of aid for the Ukrainian cause. With an end to bloodshed nowhere in sight, the charity has no intention of slowing down its attempt to stop it, with more planned trips to Ukraine appearing on the horizon as soon as all members are available.

Though this notion of constantly heading into danger would terrify some, the volunteers appear somewhat unscathed by this idea. Many have become so accustomed to the danger that it feels almost normal. Harris says, "I'm not in it for the glory. If it lasts, it lasts, and this will be my life until it's over.”