More than 200 refugees find shelter in Warsaw's desolate skyscraper. Help is needed

At first, Maria Kordalewska worked as a volunteer at Warsaw's Torwar Arena, but the local reception point for refugees was closed on April 8. But that did not curb her urge to help others. And not only hers. "There's still plenty of people who want to help. That why now we've become a TOR WARszawskiej Pomocy association. We are still helping those refugees who are already in Poland, as well as those who are arriving from Ukraine," Kordalewska told TVN24 on Thursday. The goals remain the same: providing shelter, food and help in finding work, school or kindergarten.

She stressed that refugees centres still had plenty of needs. "Even prosaic ones, such as food, are often still running short. We have organise work for these people, but also help them to relocate, because Warsaw is really overcrowded," she said.

The volunteer also said that they were still accepting gifts in the Ilmet building at Rondo ONZ, among other places. It is a desolate skyscraper owned by Skanska. It's been decided that it will be pulled down, but the developer has agreed to open it to refugees first. A few hundred double and triple rooms have been prepared on two floors. Yet not so long ago no one was staying inside. Warsaw City Hall explained that situation with a leaking roof. Skanska denied it.

"A centre for refugees has been operating there for 10 days or so. During the long May weekend there was a shortage of basic products. If anyone wants to help than they are very welcome," Kordalewska said. She added that additional help could be used in giving out meals, taking care of children and providing information.

City hall spokesperson Monika Beuth-Lutyk has confirmed that Ilmet has been opened to refugees. She said that 222 out of 312 rooms were taken. "At the moment there are 93 children there," she added.

Maria Kordalewska added that after two month of work, volunteers begin to realise they are not able to keep on helping 24/7, as also have to take care of their own affairs. "Some things could be postponed two or three weeks, but we are really tired with helping. We're watching human suffering everyday and that's not an easy thing," she said.

She also stressed that people who were coming to Poland had suffered the worst cruelties of war. There are people from Mariupol or Bucha, among other places. "The scale of tragedy they experienced is unimaginable. These people require special treatment. They cannot be placed in huge building such as the one in Nadarzyn," she said. "They should receive psychogical or psychiatric assistance. They require a completely different approach that the people who had come to Poland at the beginning of the war," she underscored.