About Us
How we help
Founded in 2011, Project ESPWA’s mission is to alleviate the suffering of crisis-affected communities around the world. We deliver on this mission through the sourcing, shipping and distribution of humanitarian aid.
ESPWA (pronounced ess-puh-wah) is the creole word for hope, a nod to the charity’s origins working with the people of Haiti. Our activities have expanded significantly over time to include humanitarian aid to crisis-hit communities in the Ukraine, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Uganda, Turkey & Syria, as well as a response to the 2023 wildfires that devastated the Hawaiian island of Maui.
How we operate
With a focus on class-leading logistics, we have built extensive networks across multiple jurisdictions ensuring vulnerable people get the help they need, when they need it. We purchase, fill and transport shipping containers packed full of donated items that will help improve the situation for people on the ground. There’s 74 cubic metres of life changing capacity in each container – everything from hospital beds to wheelchairs, construction supplies to first aid.
Our team are all dedicated volunteers. No one draws a salary, everyone gives their time for free, and fundraising comes directly from the general public. This structure means every cent raised goes directly into our relief efforts.
Our primary area of operation at present is the provision of humanitarian aid to people of the Ukraine. Since the conflict began in early 2021, our volunteer drivers have covered more than 1,000,000kms delivering more than €12.5m worth of food, medical supplies and clothing to distribution centres across Ukraine, Poland and Romania.
Everything we do is made possible by your generosity. Every donation, no matter how small is invaluable to the work we do. If you would like to help please visit our secure donate facility and give whatever you can.
Sustainability
Fostering Sustainable Development
We are proud to align our work with the UN’s Global Goals. Agreed upon in 2015 by world leaders, these 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to create a better, fairer, world by 2030 – ending poverty, urgently addressing climate change and ending inequality.
Although we strive to align across the board, there are two UN Sustainable Development Goals that we actively work to:
1. No Poverty
Providing access to basic human needs of health, education and sanitation.
Through our project and relief works, we seek to provide goods, services and housing that offer dignity and optimism to the most marginalised and vulnerable children and families.
2. Responsible Consumption & Production
Reversing current consumption trends and promoting a more sustainable future.
We maintain a regular supply-line of donated aid – everything from hospital beds to wheelchairs, construction supplies to first aid. We give these perfectly serviceable materials a new lease of life, conserving the energy and resources taken to make them in the first place. In 2024 alone, our relief aid distribution to Ukraine conserved 778 tonnes of CO2 that would otherwise have been caused by material disposal.