May 10, 2022
The current situation in Ukraine has sparked an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Ukraine is very unsafe and the war also often makes it impossible for the Ukrainian government or aid organizations to get the citizens out of dangerous situations, or to offer them emergency aid.
Our Maurice Ward Group colleagues Jan Štercl and Tomáš Šídlo shared their humanitarian journey to Ukraine.
When it became clear that together we would be able to fill the car with supplies for Ukraine, Maurice Ward Group, Comix urban Pub Pilsen, and Czech Apostolic Church like main shippers, we started planning the trip. After arriving in Český Těšín, where the rest of the humanitarian aid was documented, we continued our travel to Poland. We felt kind of normal all the time. Even in the late hours of the night we met cars on the road. However, suddenly we were the only car on the road. No one went against us, no one behind us. It was such a weird feeling, especially when you know where you are going. We had quite conflicting feelings about the border situation. On the Polish side, it was like a trip to Switzerland, yet, on the other, there was already some tension, disappointment and we did not know what was coming.
We finally reached Ukrainian soil. The road was lined with gas stations, where no prices were shown. After less than an hour, we arrived in front of the town of Kovel, where an agreed escort was waiting for us. When passing through the check point, reality hit us for the first time. Defensive places on bridges, under bridges. Arriving in the city, it looked like nothing was happening. There were still several factories on the edge, and in the wood kiln where we unloaded, everything was in a limited but functional mode. When we unloaded the car, the local Christian community invited us to breakfast. At first, we refused because we really wanted to be back in the EU as soon as possible, but in the end the pastor convinced us. The journey through the city was something unimaginable. There was tension everywhere, and the presence of the prepared hedgehogs’ barricades, stop belts and tank barricades was chilling. There were also stacked sandbags as covers for standing and recumbent shooters. When we imagined our city and its streets in such a situation, a chill ran down our spines. We spent less than an hour in the community. We had breakfast but we also talked to the local people, some of whom fled the worst-affected cities of Kharkov, Luhansk. Before we left, people from the community prayed for us, for our safe return home and thanked us. We admit that this whole meeting left a strong impression on us.
It was time to return home. Waiting at the border was not very pleasant. You could see how many people were coming to the northernmost crossing, there were dozens of people. They gathered on the Polish side and waited to see what happened next. And we were back in the EU and both looking forward to going home as we wanted to be back with our families. More than ever, it was important to have those we care about close again. One realizes how “little” is enough to be happy. Would we go again? We say without hesitation: Yeah!
Maurice Ward Group has already made many donations to the Czech Apostolic Church and will continue to do so in order to support their humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
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