How a Polish border town is welcoming Ukrainian refugees | Behind The Story

Poland, though safely tucked away in the NATO alliance, has not been spared the tragedy of war. Over 2.25m Ukrainian refugees have spilled over the border since the conflict began, with the majority of those seeking help from private citizens and non-governmental organisations.

Chełm, a small Polish town close to the Ukrainian border, has become a major hub for refugee assistance, with a makeshift operations centre at its station. Its small community of 61,000 has also taken on the burden of being a major transit town for those escaping the war.

"The world must understand that people are running away, because they have to run away and save their lives," says Pastor Henryk Skrzypkowski of the Chełm Baptist Church.

"They have left their families behind, they have even lost their families. They have lost their safe homes, they have lost the places they know."

Since the beginning of the war, Skrzypkowski's church has taken in 3,030 Ukrainian refugees who have crossed the border in search of safety. The main hall has been emptied of its pews, weddings have been cancelled, and the congregation has dedicated all its efforts to accommodating and feeding the refugees.

"100 per cent of our buildings, of our grounds, have been given over to the needs of the refugees," he says.

Those who arrive at Skrzypkowski's church come for 1-2 days before being relocated elsewhere. The church makes three warm meals a day and the 200 beds are stripped every time a person leaves to make room for someone new.

"We've had to invest in industrial dryers to deal with the laundry load. We make 350 warm meals a day for everyone, including the volunteers and the drivers. It's a tremendous logistical operation."

The Polish government last week gave basic working and welfare rights to Ukrainian nationals, but private citizens and organisations like the church do most of the work, essentially running an underground state on behalf of Poland. Although the church is now eligible for funding from the government, so far they have managed to work solely off of private donations.

"We depend a lot on existing networks, both here and internationally. All our funding comes from private individuals here and abroad mainly via Facebook and social media."

"We have even managed to collect enough money to start buying and sending food elsewhere."

Skrzypkowski says his congregation, aged between 13 and 75, is fully engaged in helping, as are other residents of Chełm, with everyone dedicating their time and effort to the cause. Many refugees have been pulled out of Ukraine via existing networks, including churches, but to Skrzypkowski faith is irrelevant.

"We not care what nationality or what faith they have. We do not check their documents. Everyone is welcome."

"In all of this, there is also the opportunity for new life. There is hope. We ask everyone to open their homes up to help the refugees."

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