Thier ages are between 2 and 12 years old, some of them required medical help. A group of children without caregivers, who crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border only a few days ago, have been already sent to families abroad and will stay there at least by the end of the war. "Among them are children of army members who are fighting for our country, and therefore we cannot reveal details," says Tetyana, a volunteer worker who has been helping Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war.
"The children need stability and another human being. That is why it was so important for them that there Ukrainian-speaking persons were waiting for them in Warsaw," says Tetyana, a volunteer working at John Bosco Oratory in Warsaw.
Children from Mariupol arrived in Poland without their parents - some of whom had died, while others had to stay in Ukraine. All have already found shelter outside Poland. "They will stay there at least by end of the war. I know that all have received psychological care to help them cope with the war and refuge trauma," the volunteer says.
Help in various dimensions
This was not the first group of people who received help from Tetyana, a violinist living in Warsaw since 2019.
"Basically, I had to restructure my life from the first day of the invasion," the volunteer tells tvn24.pl. She shared a story of the family of 12-year Artur, whom she had to urgently help from the second day of the invasion. After fleeing Lviv, his parent realised they had left behind the boy's medicine supply.
Artur suffers from leukemia and has to take medicines regularly. The problem was that the parents weren't able to explain exactly what they needed to the Polish health service.
"Unfortunately, they didn't have medical documentation on them. War mayhem made it impossible to contact the health service facility which had previously treated Artur. The parents called their friend based in Lviv, and then he contacted me," Tetyana said.
After a few calls and a successful translation, the problem was solved. However, the young Ukrainian violinist did not expect the news about her being in Warsaw and ready to help would spread so fast in Ukraine.
"First my friends called, then their friends, and later even complete strangers. I didn't even had time to think how this would affect my life. I was safe, and they were not. That's why I just acted," she said.
Some want to return to fight
Volunteers working in the Warsaw oratory have to provide psychological support on a regular basis: recently Tetyana had to intervene in the case of a 17-year-old Marta from Kherson. After coming to Poland, the girl said her departure from Ukraine was "treason". She demanded her mother offically agree to her daughter's return home.
"They came from Chernihiv which was under attack by the Russians, who entered Ukraine from Belarus. The mother knew that her consent would put her daughter at the risk of death," says the volunteer from John Bosco Oratory in Warsaw.
Tetyana also said that the story of Marta was just one out of many of this kind - as a natural reaction, many of her compatriots were at first seeking shelter. But once they found it, they found it hard to accept they weren't helping in the fight.
"In such situations, you need to know how to approach a devastated person. I took Marta on the side and told her I would get the consent from her mother the following day. I also asked her for help in return: we had a wheelbarrow of potatoes to peel. I gave her a knife and left," she said.
The girl handled the task bravely and when she was done, she asked Tetyana if the deal was still on.
"I replied it was. But - if she agreed - there was another wheelbarrow of potatoes coming the next day and someone would have to peel them for lunch. She had to decide if she agreed to help here. And after a short consideration, she decided to help. And so she does today," Tetyana says.
She says that people need to feel needed. Otherwise they feel guilty that others are dying for their country. Therefore - she admits - she herself keeps on helping others.
Consistent support
Millions of Poles have been involved in helping Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war. We asked Tetyana how much of this energy was still left. "Plenty, really a lot. The volunteers who came to the oratory in the first days of the war are still with us. It was just a short-lived enthusiasm. It wasn't just a trend, it was and is genuine," she stressed.
She also said that sometimes they had signals from families who took in refugees, but later decided they no longer wanted to help. "It's normal that such things happen. But we mustn't let such incidents to blur the overall picture: Poland is helping Ukraine like no other country," she added.
Currently, approximately 150 people are staying at John Bosco Oratory in Warsaw, mainly mothers with children. Apart from Tetyana, a group of 12 volunteers work with refugees, helping them in sorting administrative issues such as getting PESEL numbers or finding work.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24 Łódź
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24 Łodź