Cornish charity ShelterBox in Poland to support refugees fleeing Ukraine
The team have heard some heart-breaking stories from those trying to escape the conflict
Cornish charity ShelterBox has a team in Poland to support refugees who are fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
The team on the border are working to understand the type of emergency shelter and essential aid items people need.
They are assessing whether they can support people in Ukraine with aid packages made up of items like shelter tool kits, tarpaulins, fixings, rope, thermal blankets, mattresses, solar lights, and water carriers.
They are also looking at whether they can assist those who have who have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries. Aid for refugees could include portable relief items and/or cash assistance to enable people to meet their emergency shelter needs.
Head of International Giving for ShelterBox, Alex Orme, is on the ground. He said: “We are at Przemysl train station about eight miles from the Polish border with Ukraine. One of the things that has been noticeable for me is the look of desperation on people’s faces.
“One mother we met had left her eldest son at home. She had travelled for five days to get here. She had two children with her – the youngest was 10. I asked her what she needed most, and she said, ‘I just need somewhere to sleep’.
"That brought home the importance of emergency shelter that ShelterBox provides. Thanks to our global community of supporters, we are going to be able to help some of these people over the coming weeks.”
Temperatures in these areas drop well below freezing at night, so we are looking at how and where items like blankets, mattresses, winter clothes, and heaters may be able to help people.
Homes are being damaged so shelter kits that include tarpaulins and tools may be able to help people seal buildings. Solar lights could help people who are on the move and those living without electricity. The ShelterBox team are also looking at whether temporary shelters could help people before they move to other accommodation available in the countries they are entering.
ShelterBox says that often it is the most vulnerable people who are left behind during conflicts – they might be elderly or people with disabilities. The team might be looking to provide support across the border from a neighbouring country. They says the conflict is an 'unprecedented and rapidly changing situation', but they are committed to supporting people affected by the crisis.
Head of Emergency Responses at ShelterBox, Alice Jefferson says: “We are working closely with other organisations to ensure that together we help as many people as possible – in Ukraine and those who have fled the country. It’s about working out how to provide the right kind of assistance in the right place, at the right time, to the people who need it most.
“We’re preparing items like mattresses for people living in ‘collective centres’ like schools and sports centres in western Ukraine. We’re also planning aid packages of shelter kits with tools and rope, hygiene kits, solar lights and water carriers to help people survive as they are forced to live in damaged buildings.
“People who have become refugees in neighbouring countries are on the move and will not be able to carry additional items. So, we’re looking at providing the most essential items that people can carry with them, such as hygiene items and warm winter jackets, as well as the possibility of cash assistance to help people meet their emergency shelter needs.”
Around 1 million people are newly displaced in Ukraine. More than 2.3 million people are reported to have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries. 1.4 million people have fled via Poland with long and uncertain journeys ahead of them and many not knowing where they will end up.