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To receive daily diary updates during the 10 days, email: anambulance@gmail.com

Watch video stream (password: start):  https://vimeo.com/62579420

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Having recently returned from a family holiday to Pakistan, we have personally seen how difficult it is for sick poor people to access any sort of medical help. In the rural area where these ambulances will be put to use (as early as next month), mothers are currently suffering devastatingly high maternal mortality rates, simply due to inaccessible transport and lengthy delays in treatment.

 

Official stats show of the 6,210 road accidents in this region, many of the injured die a preventable death at the scene or within the first few hours simply due to a lack of pre-medical emergency services.  More than 8% of all acutely ill kids will die before they get close to a hospital.

 

At the moment the sick vunerable children and expectant mothers in this remote community are unable to access any sort of medical transport nor are able to pay for a taxi. They rely on charitable bystanders in private cars, to reach hospital. Sadly, with no transport available, many have no option but to travel on foot for many miles in search of treatment.

 

When I heard that there was a way I could help raise money to directly impact the lives of those without a voice, I jumped at it with both feet. When I explained to my daughters that it would mean two weeks away from their dad and lots of busy days beforehand where I would be away from home fundraising, without hesitation, they both turned and said " it's okay daddy, this is far more important & we can help you raise the money too!" The decision to be apart of this had been made !

 

We created this page on Monday 11th March with a view to start the fundraising and considered ourselves to have done well if we could get close to the £3,500.00 bare minimum requirement for one ambulance before we left the UK. What actually then transpired over the following six days was just incredible. You can see from the below updates, that the speed with which we moved towards the goal was absolutely lightening.  When you consider during this week not only did the Just Giving site crash but the deserving Comic Relief campaign was also happening. It was a real blessing that we were able to hit roughly £1,000 a day more often than not.

 

Six days from the start we had reached well over £5,000.00 and achieved 100% of our dream target. Our ambulance & equipment are now all secure for this trip. However I am not going by myself, I am a part of a team of 55 who have signed up to be collectively responsible for 25 ambulances from Nottingham (UK) to Rawalpindi (Pakistan) and the ongoing costs of running this service thereafter.  My story is just one of over 50 personal stories which make up the drivers for this seriously difficult challenge. The reality is now that we need close on £200k to be sure we can see this whole project through in a self financing manner. My fundraising will continue for the team until we leave on the 19th April 2013. This means that I am currently still looking for kind hearts who can help us reach £15,000 by April 19th 2013. These monies are this time not just benefiting one ambulance, your monies will be gifting 24 further ambulances to this needy region.

 

We have all spent a day together and I can honestly say I am proud of the team I have around me. We have all bonded and are a tight nit unit. We have all been briefed on the security situation, the problems to be encountered on-route and the number of evolving contingency plans surrounding emergency short notice route changes. There is so much to take in (communications, sickness, vehicle checks, convoy technique, discipline, safety, traffic management, route familiarity, planned stops,  borders control do's and don'ts, luggage, dehydration, driving long base vehicles with no rear view mirrors and this list goes on and on and on !) even before you look at speed discipline and the difficulties of driving day/night for sometimes upto 14/15 hours with few breaks, this will really test our metal.

 

We will all be driving (if we can hit our collective target) from Nottingham Forest Football Ground, down to the Chunnel, across France & Switzerland, right the way through much of Italy (including the mayhem of Milan), across by ferry to Greece, then through the length of Turkey, over the border into Iran and then finally into Pakistan itself. Eight countries, over 6000km in just 10 days. This will be a journey of a lifetime in so many respects. Rewarding, perhaps a little risky, sometimes even lonely, but worth it in every respect if we can pull off this challenge and deliver these ambulances in working order.

 

This convoy of 25 ambulances will collectively provide a cohesive strategy for this whole region. We will have mechanics with tools, doctors, local representatives, experienced convoy specialists, military men, and various other useful professionals and many multilingual team members. Most of all we will have the ‘can do’ attitude when things may turn against us. We may also have a police escort in riskier regions but part of this challenge is that anything could change at short notice and we have to be prepared for this as a unit. With us having twin boys (as well as the girls) back in the UK, Bushra (my wife) is still a little uneasy about my making this journey and the dangers that it may have, but she too, like us, understands that sometimes we need to put others before ourselves. 

 

Muslim Hands is one of a portfolio of charities I have worked closely with in recent years. They have a huge experience in complex humanitarian projects including during floods, famine, earthquakes and in war zones across the world. As experts in this particular region, other charities will often use Muslim Hands' ground knowledge and influence to help implement their own projects. I am therefore confident that Muslim Hands will manage these ambulances responsibly, from when we arrive in Pakistan and more importantly, once we have all left and returned back to the UK.

 

These ambulances will be allocated to one of the basic health units in villages across the District of Rawalpindi (close to Islamabad in the Northern regions of Pakistan).  They will be managed and closely monitored, with regular field reports being communicated back to the UK, providing us with clear and concise feedback on how these ambulance are continuing to benefit the poor of the area.

 

Many thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully understand why we are passionate about this cause and why we are so involved. We hope you too, have felt a connection to this needy cause and that you will help us in whichever way you have the ability to do so. We want and aim to share this challenge with as many people as would like to themselves be a part of something, we feel, is very special. Please contact me personally should you have any questions or simply wish to offer us some words of advice or encouragement at anambulance@gmail.com .

 

"Thank-you !”

 

Zaf C (who is driving the ambulance across 8 countries & 6000km in 10 days)

Ayesha & Hafsa (who are my daughters managing my fundraising campaign!)

 

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Extra Information (I am asked these questions nearly everyday, so I thought I would do a little FAQ):

 

Breakdown of the 10 days (this is one of three contingency routes we have planned):

 

Day 1:           Nottingham to Folkestone,in the Euro Tunnel to Calais, France. Drive from Calais, France to Basle, Switzerland.

Day 2:           Drive from Basle, Switzerland to Ancona, Italy. Ferry overnight from Ancona, Italy to Igoumenitsa, Greece.

Day 3:           Drive from Igoumenitsa, Greece to Istanbul, Turkey. Overnight stay in Istanbul.

Day 4:          Drive from Istanbul to Ankara, Turkey. Overnight stay in Ankara, Turkey.

Day 5:           Drive from Ankara to Erzincan, Turkey.

Day 6:          Drive from Erzincan, Turkey to Tabriz, Iran.

Day 7:           Drive from Tabriz  to Isfahan, Iran.

Day 8:          Drive from Isfahan to Bam Iran.

Day 9:          Drive from Bam, Iran to Quetta, Pakistan.

Day 10:        Travelling from Quetta, Pakistan to Islamabad, Pakistan.               

 

Days 11 - 14: Flight from Pakistan to the UK (contingency days)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

 The funds raised on this page are directly going towards purchasing 25 ambulances by Muslim Hands and sustaining the ambulance service within the District of Rawalpindi. With this in mind, we do not have a cap on what is needed for this project long term. All raised funds are ring-fenced for this project only. When funds are paid by credit or debit card on this page, that money is almost instantly available to Muslim Hands and highlighted for this project through sophisticated software linked to the just giving website. As one of the team heavily involved in the fundraising, awareness and operation for this project I would prefer you to donate through this page using your card details rather than handing cash over to me personally –  it allows for gift aid to be claimed to help with operational costs for the charity and it is also safer, faster & transparent.  My personal goal is not to be a burden on any resource and to offset any costs relating to me as an individual.  I give my time, effort, own financial resources, my driving experience and team working skills to this project, at no cost to either the charity nor to any donor/sponsor giving for this great cause.

 

Which ambulances are we taking ?

 

The 25 UK ambulances that form the convoy are a mix of Mercedes Sprinters, Ford Transits, Renault Masters and a VW. To give you an idea of what they look like, I have found some You Tube links (not exact models themselves - but close enough to give you a feel). Take a look:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJKR2-sHSIc (link for Mercedes Sprinter Ambulances in action in the UK )

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztTDvOjhgV4  (link to Ford Transit Ambulance on the streets of the UK)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nWkXqUg5Nc  (link to Renault Master Ambulance on the streets of the UK)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKG24PHo_-M&NR=1&feature=endscreen  (link to a VW Ambulance simulation)

 

What happens if someone falls sick, the ambulance breaks down, there are border problems, war breaks out, foreign office advice changes mid route, you are hijacked,  or kidnapped, shot at or involved in an incident or accident of some sort ?

 

We have many contingency plans, special travel insurance, police national convoy assistance, local charity partners and agencies helping at border controls and on the ground. However we can still not be sure where or when we could encounter any of these or indeed other unforeseen problems. It is understood that this could be a dangerous as well as problematic challenge on so many levels.  We ask you all to pray that we achieve our objective and all return home safely to our families.

 

Can you breakdown the costs of the ambulance and what is going to be included ?

 

You are able to donate the cash  and specify where you would like it spent or let us use it where most needed in this  project:

 

Ambulance :                                           £ 4,000.00

Six months running costs:           £ 2,100.00

One months running costs:         £     350.00

Full paramedic training costs:    £ 1,000.00

Internal fixtures & fittings:         £     450.00

Siren:                                                          £     350.00

Stretcher:                                                £      295.00

Four folding seats:                             £      295.00

Four tyres:                                               £      200.00

Oxygen supply cylinders:             £       175.00

Wheelchair:                                            £       145.00

First aid Kit:                                             £       145.00

External ambulance graphics:   £       150.00

Radio Equipment:                              £       130.00

Paramedic uniforms:                        £       100.00

 

 Watch this video and all it will help you understand where monies are going to be spent ! the Password is start and please feedback to anambulance@gmail.com

 

Link:    https://vimeo.com/62579420