As Daughters of Charity, from the first day of the outbreak of the war, we “run to those in need as if to a fire.” We pray for an end to the war, we welcome families, we care for mothers with children, the elderly and people with disabilities in our homes; we serve as translators. In cooperation with various organizations, we provide for their sustenance and purchase clothes, footwear, cleaning products, even toys for children. We are looking for jobs for them and for schools for their children. In case of illness, we organize medical appointments and treatment …
Who are these people who have benefited from our help so far? Here are some of their short but tragic stories:
- Their friends, seeing the difficult situation of the paralyzed mother who is a widow with a twelve-year-old girl, did everything to put them on a train to take them away from the bombed Kharkiv. Their grandmother accompanied them on a long journey to Poland, first by train and then by buses. However, they are all worried about the woman’s son (the young girl’s brother who is also the grandson of the grandmother) who had to be left behind because he was not able to obtain documents before the outbreak of the war; he had no time to get exit papers, as he was the only one taking care of his paralyzed mother and young sister.
- A couple with four children, fleeing the war, arrived in the vicinity of Warsaw in a passenger car where unfortunately a large truck hit them. Their car was completely destroyed but miraculously, the family did not suffer any injury. When a Sister asked them what they needed most at the moment, the father replied, ” to join us in thanking God for saving our family.”
- We took in a family with two children who arrived by train during the night. After a two-day rest, they decided to go on to another country. They received free tickets at the station and left. After two days, they called to tell us that no one wanted to accept them and were returning to Poland; they requested hospitality in our home again. Electronic registration of refugees has started today; they are already registered.
- In one of our homes, we welcome mothers with young children. We carefully follow the latest regulations regarding the legalization of their stay in the country and meet with them to give updates and other information. At the end of one such meeting, a Sister asked what their most urgent needs are. A young woman cradling her child in her arms replied with tears in her eyes: “We only need one thing – to return to our homes, to our husbands and fathers.”
