Voluntary work for Ukraine

In Poland, hundreds of volunteers are ready day and night to make things as pleasant as possible for refugees from Ukraine.  ''I see it as my moral duty, what these people have to go through is unimaginable enough,'' says Ana Martins. She was one of the volunteers who helped refugees upon their arrival in Przemysl.

On February the 24th the news came out that Russian troops had invaded Ukraine. This poignant news touched Ana after which she wanted to make her house available to refugee Ukrainians. After she had signed up, a message appeared on social media from the Portuguese authority: Volunteers wanted. Enough reason for Ana and her friend to sign up as volunteers close to the border of Ukraine.

After her application on Friday the 25th of February she got the opportunity to leave for Przemysl on Sunday the 27th February. Sunprojects facilitated by granting paid leave for the days she did volunteer work in Poland.

After arriving in Krakow, everything became a reality very quickly. The guide who was to take them to Przemysl told of bombings near the border. Eventually Ana went anyway and upon arrival she found a lot of chaos. People were in shock, stressed or having a very hard time. Many people arrived by bus or had a long journey behind them. 

As a volunteer, the daily activities are very diverse: registering refugees, cooking, cleaning rooms, playing, distributing things, playing with children and much more. As a result, you are constantly busy, which means you don't get enough rest yourself. For example, you slept a maximum of 3 hours or unconsciously skipped a meal. Despite the hard work and putting yourself in second place, volunteering does give you satisfaction.

There are two experiences that will stay with Ana forever.

- A doctor from Chernihiv had to leave everything behind in her hometown. She arrived at the border along with her son and 3 dogs. Ana handled the registration for this lady and helped her apply for a location. On March 22, Ana received the news that this lady happened to be placed in the Aveiro District in Portugal. Ana will still visit her as this is close to her home.
- Many refugees take all their animals with them. Despite all the chaos, these animals are just the calmest of all. Throughout the week, Ana has heard one dog barking. It's almost as if the animals are sensing.

Volunteering has made a big impact on Ana's life. It was intense, but it gave Ana also much satisfaction that she could be of help.

Thanks you Ana, we are proud of you!