Priest from Lublin helps refugees from Ukraine, including deaf and blind people

The Welcome Centre in Lublin is one of the places of refuge for people fleeing war in Ukraine. Here they will find care, support, basic products and food. The point has been organised by Father Mieczysław Puzewicz, a well-known charity worker and creator of Volunteer Centre in Lublin. He receives help from volunteers, many of whom are Ukrainians who have recently needed support themselves.

Sister Victoria from Ghana, who has been living in Poland for two years now, is one of the volunteers. "I would like to bring a little bit of hope, some smile," she told TVN24 reporter in Polish. She tries to speak in Ukrainian to the refugees and has quickly learned a few phrases in that language once she realised that it makes them happy.

Father Puzewicz organises temporary homes for the refugees. Currently, at one of such shelters there are 19 refugees from Zaporizhia, of which 17 are deaf, and 2 are blind.

"In total, we have three families. Head of one of them is a refugee from Korea," Father Puzewicz says.

A woman and her daughter named Ksenia live there too. The girl's father died near Odessa, south Ukraine, on the first day of the Russian invasion. During the day, Ksenia is at a makeshift kindergarten, so her mother could work in that time. She told our reporter she liked to draw princesses.

TVN24 reporter Marta Abramczyk-Dzikiewicz says that although there is a huge language barrier between the residents - some speak Ukrainian, some speak Russian, and even Ukrainian sign language is different than Polish - all manage to get by and live in friendship.

According to the Polish Border Guard, more than 1 million people have entered Polish territory through border crossings in Lubleskie Voivodeship. Over 12,000 people entered in that region on Monday alone. There are four border stations on the Ukrainian border: Dorohusk, Hrebenne, Dołhobyczów and Zosin.