My name is Oliver Fisk, and I will soon be flying to Poland to help provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees there.
I am an Irish-American university student, and was on academic exchange in Moscow when the war broke out.
I quickly left the country and headed home, but couldn't help but feel out of place. Ukrainian friends of mine were attempting the unthinkable — trying to organize the safe passage and arrival of their relatives westwards; Russian friends were risking a great deal at anti-war, anti-Putin rallies. I, on the other hand, found myself surrounded by friends and family in Dublin, as if nothing had changed.
For tens of millions of Ukrainians, however, Russia's invasion has changed everything. According to the BBC, over 5.5 million have left for neighboring countries and another 6.5 million are thought to be internally displaced.
For that reason, I am grateful to be joining a volunteer group North Carolina to do some good. In the Polish cities of Warsaw, Krakow, Kielce, and Przemyśl, we will be distributing monetary aid in whatever form is needed, be it hot food and medical care, or groceries and housing support. 100% of the donated money will go to Ukrainians in Poland, as we aim to meet 100% of their needs.
