CWUHA was set up in 1995 by CWU local and regional union officials in response to an appeal from trade unionists living in War torn Bosnia, in particular the town of Tuzla. The first convoy arrived in Tuzla in July 1995 delivering aid to Telecom & Postal workers. The determination to deliver the aid direct to those who needed it most, cutting out the risk of it falling into the hands of self-interest middlemen, set the agenda for every CWUHA convoy that was to follow.

Running Aid Convoys is part of the charity’s core work and during our 26 years we have organised over 50 missions to orphanages, children/maternity hospitals, refugee camps, disabled centres, foster & adoption centres, homes for street children and to disadvantaged families.

With the support of BT, Royal Mail, AnPost and Eir (who release employees, loan us vehicles and supply fuel) CWUHA have developed aid routes to Bosnia, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Transnistria and Albania delivering direct, thousands of tons of aid. We also sent containers full of medical aid to hospitals in Aleppo in Syria and winter clothing for street children in Mongolia.

CWUHA always prides it-self on delivering the majority of aid direct to the point of need and to do this we work with recommended and trusted in-country partners like Mad-Aid who facilitate our work in Moldova.

As a charity we have delivered thousands of tonnes of aid worth over a million pounds. This has included, incubators, medical equipment & supplies, sensory and specialised equipment for disabled children, wheelchairs, nappies, sanitary products, bedding, clothing, shoes, toiletries, food, furniture, household goods, beds, bedding, building materials, boilers/radiators and of course cuddly teddies and toys.

All Volunteers are given a wish-list of items that they will need to raise for their vehicle. It’s an important principle of CWUHA that we always deliver what is needed.

CWUHA normally run two convoys a year during May and September. Each convoy can consist of up to ten vehicles and can take up to 3 weeks, but normally just over two. The trustees have the final say on who takes part, but they always prioritise new volunteers.

Though we usually organise two convoys a year, CWUHA will always try to respond to humanitarian aid disasters as we did in 2015 when we witnessed refugees fleeing the war in their native countries and entering Europe with very little warm clothing or food and with the cold harsh winter due to arrive there was a call for help. CWUHA rose to the challenge and sent two convoys of aid to refugee camps in Hungary and Bulgaria.

If you would like information on volunteering to take part in an aid convoy, please click here