‘I want to show we can do much more’

Thomas is raising money to buy medical supplies and frontline ambulances for Ukraine. He is doing so alongside his father, who is a solicitor, and his brother Jasper (23), who obtained his bachelor's degree from Utrecht Law College in 2024. When talking about the initiative, Thomas sounds a bit like a politician, powerfully conveying his message wth one-liners and concluding with the slogan: "We can do it."

The fundraising campaign started a month ago, but it was preceded by a process that took almost six months. Thomas came up with the idea while having a break at work. He was reading a news article about yet another attack against Ukraine. "Protesting is fantastic, but I want to show that we can do much more if we really want to, even when we're young." 

He underscores his age because he's noticed that most people taking action are from older generations, "while young people like us are fighting on the front lines." This motivated the trio to roll up their sleeves. By doing this, the Andriesse family hopes not only to get some frontline ambulances to Ukraine but also inspire others to take action.

Dream big
The first ambulance has already been purchased, with more to follow. Frontline ambulances differ from regular ambulances because they are equipped only with a stretcher and the basic equipment necessary to save a life. They are painted army green and have four-wheel drive for rough roads. 

The past few months have not been easy, says Thomas. He stresses that convincing others is harder than all the paperwork, planning, and soon driving in that direction. "We have to prove ourselves."

According to him, proving oneself is necessary to achieve the next step in the campaign, which involves running it almost like a business. "Before people get on board, they first want to see that we can do it." Ultimately, he hopes to attract companies to his initiative so that the trio can accomplish even more.

He wouldn't mind taking on a more coordinating role. "It's hard to build a logistics network, but once we have that, we can also start helping other people who want to do something for Ukraine." After all, he assumes others might also want to drive frontline ambulances to Ukraine.

"Oftentimes, giving up was the easiest option. Breaking through that has been the hardest thing for me so far." 

The type of ambulance they will drive to Ukraine. Photo: Thomas Andriesse

Help from an unexpected source
Thomas spent six hours a day on this project. Hearing this, one would almost forget that he is also a second-year law student at Utrecht University. He will also miss a few lectures while driving the ambulances to Kyiv.

"It's going to be quite an adventure. It takes about a week and a half to get an ambulance there. And there's a war going on, of course." It's almost certain that they'll have to seek shelter at some point, as Russia's attacks are relentless.

Thomas tells us he has received help from an unexpected source. When the education director of his programme heard about the initiative, he emailed Thomas to ask how he could help. "So, we talked to him to figure out how I could combine this with my studies."

Thomas hopes that more students will join the campaign, enabling him to do even more. "Maybe we could take it up across the entire university! Communication students can set up campaigns, law students can ensure we follow all the laws and regulations, medical students can ride along to see how healthcare works in a war zone, and business students can help think about procurement policy."

Help is coming from all sides. In addition to the media coverage the family has been receiving, including features on NOS.nl, RTV Utrecht, and NPO Radio 2, they are also getting a lot of supplies. Thomas remains level-headed: "Media coverage is nice, but donations matter much more."

Humanitarian action
They are also trying to learn from other initiatives, such as the campaign launched by the television programme Even tot Hier last year. "We have been working on this campaign since September, and their campaign started in November. We've been in touch with Tatu (Transport Ambulances To Ukraine, Ed.) to learn from them. Ultimately, we have the same goal, and it's not about us at all."

To conclude, Thomas emphasises that this is a humanitarian action. "We just want to help the wounded, not contribute to the war," he affirms. "My father has Russian friends, for example. They're already going through enough. We're not against them because they happen to have been born there."

You can stay informed about the initiative on Instagram.