Emma, ESC volunteer from France

Since 24th February, many things have changed, both at the European level and in our projects as European Solidarity Corps volunteers. Nothing is the same any more, and even my daily life is different since that day. We came here in this project led by IB Polska to help in different areas. I work in a special school.

Since the emergency started, we have contributed in different ways to help Ukrainians. We started on 26th February to help to run a donation centre. It was the beginning of the war, everything was very confusing, but I did my best to help people fleeing the war. The number of donations was impressive, representative of Polish solidarity in the face of this situation. As time was passing by, all the solidarity initiatives were smoother and better organised.

Today, together with the other European Solidarity Corps volunteers at IB Polska, I help once a a week in a free shop for Ukrainians. Szafa Dobra, as it is named, was set in a former shop mall and allows refugees to take for free as many second hand clothes as they need. I like it because people don’t have to look into piles of items, but they can choose clothes from hangers and check if they fit. The whole situation is really sad and worrying. I am grateful to be able to help a little.