Poland

In March of 2022 I left Greg behind (he was flying to Malta to help his Dad pack up his house to move) and headed across Europe to Poland. Together with my friends Seth and Nick we drove a van full of medical supplies, medication, food, toiletries and sanitary products from Dartmoor to Krakow Poland in response to the humanitarian crisis after Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

We got the boat from Harwich to the Hook of Holland and then drove through the Netherlands into Germany. We stayed in a motorway lay-by outside Leipzig Germany. We had brought a couple of burners, pots and pans with us so we cooked on a picnic bench before climbing back into the van to sleep. Seth and Nick slept on top of the mountain of tinned food in the back while I had the front seats.

The next morning we drove into Poland and headed for Krakow. Here we met a contact Seth had been put in touch with by a friend who had just returned from a very similar trip. His contact ran a huge warehouse that coordinated the humanitarian donations for Ukraine and sent them to where they were most needed. Some items were to go to refugee hubs whereas others like medications and medical supplies were being taken into Ukraine.

Following this we went into Krakow city centre to visit the refugee hub there and find out what we could do to help. We helped resupply the fridges in the kitchen, they were particularly low on baby food. Whilst we were there we met some other British nationals who gave us the details of a refugee hub close to the border. They let us know that there was a need for people to drive refugees away from the border to other cities such as Warsaw and Krakow. We decided that would be the best place for us to go to help further.

Driving to the border was the most surreal experience. The closer we got the huge motorway became more and more empty. There were signs over the roads showing their solidarity with Ukraine or displaying warnings about the proximity to the war zone.

The refugee hub at the border was like nothing I have ever seen before in my life. The hugest of buildings with massive room upon room full of people, camp beds, blankets and food. The army were there, the police, fire service, first aid, a vast array of support companies, charities and volunteers. There were huge catering units, mobile phone providers handing out free Polish SIM cards with free minutes on and tables and tables of toiletries and other essentials that had been donated. The largest room had been repurposed as a transport hub, they matched refugees with drivers who could get them where they needed to go.

We had our identities checked and registered with the police as well as the identities of the people we were driving. We spent the rest of our time in Poland driving backwards and forwards from the border to various cities and out of the way places. We would take our new friends to meet their loved ones who had already made it out of Ukraine or to other refugee hubs in train stations who would then help them on from there. All the refugee hubs we saw were set up with beds, blankets and field kitchens to support the people on their journeys. We would always leave each of the family’s we helped with an envelope of Polish Zloty for the train fare, food and other essentials. Once we had dropped off our new friends it was usually evening and we would head to the nearest truck stop or lay-by to have a quick dinner and then sleep in the van ready for a new day.

Pretty much everyone we helped travel across Poland were women with children. Something that struck me in the refugee hub was the total lack of noise from the vast numbers of children that were present. It was heartbreaking, silent little scared faces everywhere. I noticed once we started driving away from the border after around an hour or so the children would start playing with toys and each other. They would relax and giggle and chat and it was the most beautiful noise. I would get know them and their mothers with the help of google translate. The women I met showed me photos and videos of their homes and towns burning. I was shown wedding photos and pictures of their husbands with their children in happier days before the invasion. They would tell me of their fears for their husbands, brothers and fathers who were still in Ukraine and fighting. I was introduced to their husbands via video calls and saw the looks of relief in their eyes when they saw their babies being driven from the border. I felt the weight of responsibility keeping these amazing women who had left their homes with nothing but a suitcase and their children to safety. I have never in my life before seen such determination, bravery and courage.

I took no photos of the refugee hubs or the people that we helped. It was a conscious decision as no one wants people photographing them during the darkest moments. I do have some photos that have been sent to me by the women we helped, they asked to take photos with me to document their journey and show their family. I treasure the photos but I won’t share them, they are part of someone else’s story and it’s not mine to tell.

I am still in contact with many of them, getting the occasional message and photo of the children thriving in safety. It means more to me than words can describe. I know that even though we met for sometimes only 6 or so hours I will carry them in my heart forever.