The Power of Empathy on the Outskirts of War
Have you ever wondered how those who fled Ukraine are doing? What is the state of their faith? What are their lives like in a new, often foreign place, having fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs? What is it like living somewhere and not knowing the local language?
I cannot even imagine their situation, the decisions they had to make, and the fear they must carry. They escaped, running from danger and in search of shelter. Their situation is so difficult that they must ask for help. They need assistance to survive the greatest struggle they’ve faced in their lives. They left with many questions but just one goal: to find safety quickly.
Making a Difference
Who can help these women and their children now? Big humanitarian organizations and governments may be the first to come to mind. However, those most capable of making a difference are the people closest to you; your neighbors, friends, and family.
Approximately 3.6 million refugees were seeking safety in Poland. This amounts to 10% of the population of Poland, ten percent more people in such a short span of time. The Polish government swiftly gave key protections and benefits to refugees, including social security numbers that give them the right to work, as well as access to free health care and education. Beyond these primary assistance, refugees have also been provided with a place to stay, food, clothes, hygiene products, home products, electronics, jobs, as well as compassion, understanding, and love. These all became essential the minute they crossed the Polish border.
Empathy and Aid Have No Border
Recognizing all that the refugees would need, volunteers traveled to the border, train stations, and other areas where refugees would be arriving. Many free shops were opened where refugees could pick up food, necessities, and clothes. Hundreds and later, thousands of people started collecting essential products and sending them to Ukraine; they knew what Ukrainians needed and where they needed it. Before the war broke out, there were over 1.3 mln Ukrainian immigrants in Poland, so when Ukrainians needed help, Poles and Ukrainian immigrants were ready to offer it.
From Mothers, for Mothers
One of the hardworking volunteers was Anna, living in my hometown of Puławy, 93 miles from the Polish-Ukrainian border. Anna, a very compassionate kindergarten teacher with high emotional intelligence, understood how to support those who didn’t know where to find help or were ashamed to ask for it. Knowing that incoming refugees would need support, she reached out to a Ukrainian mother whose child attended the kindergarten where Anna teaches — Svitlana. Svitlana, a beautician and Ukrainian “mother torpedo,” as others call her, was bringing refugees who just crossed the border, with her husband when the war began. Anna began working with them, collecting information about what they might need and helping them find a place to stay. She later passed on these requests for essential goods to Iwona — a third fantastic woman who had just joined them. Iwona, an energetic and communicative mother and business owner, used her highly effective organizational skills to collect all of the requested items for refugees.
They were collecting all the essentials that a family escaping a country at war might need, such as baby clothes, pushchairs, diapers, baby cots, and anything else that the city was not providing. As Iwona said, “we do it as from mothers, for mothers.”
Soon more volunteers joined them, and they started supporting each other with their different skills. Joanna, a mother and lecturer, aided the group with her articulate nature and effective organizational skills. Agata, a mother and accountant who is used to providing help, made use of her experience organizing a food sharing for those in need. She was able to thrift a TV, refrigerator, and furniture for the center. Oriana, a mother and accountant, was also highly effective and active, maintaining close contact with the Ukrainian people.
When the city stopped supporting refugees, the volunteers started collecting food for current and incoming refugees. When word of this group began to spread, more refugees came to them requesting food and other necessities. They quickly learned that these amazing volunteers always had something for those in need.
An organized group of mothers, who had no ambitions of becoming a Puławy aid center, became one. The only one in a 33-mile radius.
The Only One: A Puławy Aid Center
There are an estimated 1000 refugees in the Puławy area. However, as it is a city close to the border, a lot of refugees have traveled to Poland or Europe, leaving the total number of refugees unknown.
With this many people in need of help, places like the one started by these women are immensely beneficial in supporting them. At this center, donations are stored and offered, children play freely, and Ukrainian mothers chat with each other and learn Polish, taught by Svitlana.
I was so impressed by what they went through to make it happen, with a minimal budget and no support from the government. They found furniture, renovation materials, toys, and other accessories, as well as initial donors and an organization that offered to rent out a space for them for a couple of months. Hats off, ladies!
They primarily help Ukrainian families who live in the area and those passing through but also organize aid tours to Ukraine. Besides the aforementioned women, the center is also supported by some regular volunteers, including members from the University of the Third Age and non-governmental institutions.
The center is an unbelievable expression of a grassroots movement that deserves to stay. Yet, with the war ongoing, it has been hard to keep the center open and funded. Those not directly affected by the war are forgetting about the hardships and needs of refugees. The refugees, nor those directly involved with helping them, should not be forgotten.
Unstoppable Maja
Over 7 miles away from Puławy, in a stunning medieval town, Kazimierz Dolny operates another impeccable volunteer — Maja. She usually owns and rents out rooms for tourists and has met many Ukrainian friends. When the war broke out, she didn’t wait to find a way to help Ukraine. She started from collecting food, hygiene products and medicine, that were transported to Ukraine. After that Maja contacted her Ukrainian friends who work for or with military hospitals, a military unit, and started collecting items that they desperately required. This included medicine, scalpels, blood pressure monitors, t-shirts, underwear for wounded soldiers, and food for the orphanage. Additionally, she hosts a family of Ukrainian refugees in her house.
She was able to secure most of the donations from foundations, private companies, and donors. So far, she has organized eight fully stocked vans with critical goods transported to Ukraine with a combined estimated value of 82,000 dollars. Unfortunately, her work is getting more difficult as the war continues and people stop donating and answering calls and e-mails. As the war becomes old news, donations stop coming in, and refugees begin to struggle once again.
When she manages to collect what is required, Maja connects with a team of volunteer drivers who deliver those goods to Ukraine. Maja puts aside a lot of her private life, dreams, hopes, and goals in an effort to support those affected by the war. She is constantly busy and working, but the joy and energy that drive her to support this cause never leave her. She and the founders of the aid center in Puławy closely collaborate. For every person that is involved, more support can be provided to Ukrainians in need.
What’s Next?
The funds, donations, and support these volunteer organizations are receiving are decreasing every day. I am concerned that there won’t be enough funds for the center to continue running one day. The free shops and aid centers are closing down, so what will happen to those in need? Will they have to once again move to an unfamiliar country and adapt? Will they be forced to return to Ukraine in the midst of the ongoing war? What will they find there besides destroyed homes, villages, and towns lacking basic infrastructure and war still ensuing throughout the country?
Ukrainians want desperately to go back. They want to survive this horrible time and then return and rebuild their beautiful country. For now, though, it is our duty to keep them safe so that they will have the strength to return to a safer Ukraine.
It is impeccable what Anna, Svitlana, Iwona, Joanna, Agata, Oriana, and Maja, as well as the rest of the volunteers, do. They sacrificed a lot but continued to help, as they were not capable of saying “no” to those in need. They are grateful that Ukrainians are fighting and risking their lives to defend freedom and democracy for Ukraine and the rest of the world.
It’s Time for Us to Act
I feel deep respect for their accomplishments and the great impact they have on so many people’s lives. It is for these reasons that I started a fundraiser that will allow them to continue their work through October 2022. If you, like other donors and myself, believe that their work should continue, please donate and share this article and the fundraiser. You can also contact me or any of the organizers if you are interested in personally donating any essential goods. Please also check the attached Amazon wishlist, which includes critical products you can help provide for the Ukrainian Army, including tactical clothes and medical supplies.
I am planning to organize an online discussion panel with volunteers described in this article, and others who actively help Ukrainians. To get more exclusive first-hand details about how help is provided to refugees and how you can help sign up to get an invitation once it’s ready.
