WATCH: 25 tonnes of donated refugee aid heads off from Dundee
Around 25 tonnes of aid including 18 tonnes of donated clothing and 91 thousand bars of soap have left Dundee headed for refugee camps on the Serbia-Macedonia border.
Around 25 tonnes of aid including 18 tonnes of donated clothing and 91 thousand bars of soap have left Dundee headed for refugee camps on the Serbia-Macedonia border.
It's the largest refugee aid shipment ever sent from the city. Organisers Dundee the Caring City say they've seen a huge amount of generosity in Dundee and Perthshire.
The charity hopes the donations will help 15,000 refugees housed in temporary shelters in the freezing cold.
Voluteer Mike Strachan spoke to our reporter Lizzie Parker ahead of the depature.
The Caring City Network is a collective of organisations led by charity, Glasgow The Caring City.
International Aid Director, Ross Galbraith, who oversaw the truck departure, said, “Today’s shipment of aid is in direct response to local appeals from our partners for urgent humanitarian aid to support the growing numbers of refugees trapped in the borderlands between nations, along the Balkan corridor.
"This morning, 15,000 people will awaken cold, hungry, dirty and in need of urgent help in temporary shelters dotted along the Macedonian Border.
“The people we see on our TV screens are no different from you or I. They carry the burdens and scars of war but they still feel cold, hunger and pain like the rest of us. Scotland has found it in our hearts to help and as always, The Caring City Network is at the forefront of that appeal to bring a degree of hope and relief to their plight.
"The people of Dundee and Glasgow, plus many other communities around Scotland have united to care for others in their time of need.
“The Caring City Network is a long established partnership between the people of Scotland and those in need. We welcomed Dundee Caring City into that partnership in 2015 and today, they are leading the way with this well researched and responsive package of humanitarian aid”.