Today our team did a major push to keep connecting different volunteers into a network of organization for different support needs in Przemyśl, Poland, while continuing to provide “last mile” transportation to those that have destinations that don’t lie on major routes.
One of our drivers took a woman and her daughter with special needs from the centre to a residence in Krakow. The centre was expecting a huge influx of people and they needed as many to move on as possible to accommodate the newest arrivals. They provided a caravan of tons of buses to Warsaw. But this woman was absolutely not able to have her child on a bus where they couldn’t stop if needed to assist her daughter. The people that need long distance accommodation may not always be able to cope on a communal bus.
Two of our cars did a convoy to take 3 families, one with a teenage daughter with health needs, to a rural host to stay for a few days before their family member could arrive from Spain to pick them up. They were also worried about taking a long bus ride or staying in the chaotic refugee center where it’s difficult to sleep. Our cars were able to stop every 15-20 minutes for her to do health checks and to reduce anxiety and travel sickness.
We continue to get established and set up routines given the flux of refugees arriving across the border. We are also engaging with a mixed group of hard working UK NGOs and volunteers at the main centre that is matching families needing hosts in the UK. We are lucky to also have the support of Stuart Meaker (former cricketer) who is doing anything and everything to help on the ground and connect resources.