Chelm is a small industrial town in Poland with Baroque basilica, a warren of chalk mines and a population of 61,000. Its proximity to the Ukraine border means that it has also become a major transit hub for many of the 2.5 million refugees who have fled the horrors of the Russian invasion.
The majority of refugees to Poland seek help from private citizens and non-governmental organisations, and Chelm has responded by setting up a makeshift operations hub at the railway station.
The baptist church has stripped out its pews and cancelled weddings, and the congregation has dedicated itself to the care of 3,030 Ukrainians who have passed through since the start of the war.
Henryk Skrzypkowski, the pastor, said: “The world must understand that people are running away because they have to save their lives. 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. One hundred per cent of our buildings, of our grounds, have been given over to the needs of the refugees.”
Those who arrive at Skrzypkowski’s church stay for one or two days before they are relocated. They are given three hot meals a day and one of the 200 clean beds.
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“We’ve had to invest in industrial dryers to deal with the laundry load,” Skrzypkowski said. “We make 350 warm meals a day for everyone, including the volunteers and the drivers. It’s a tremendous logistical operation.”
Last week the Polish government extended basic working and welfare rights to Ukrainian nationals, but most of the work with refugees is done by private citizens and organisations such as churches. Although the church is now eligible for government funding, so far they have been able to work on donations alone.
Skrzypkowski said: “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 town and his congregation, aged between 13 and 75, are fully engaged with the effort, everyone dedicating time and effort to the cause. Many refugees have been pulled out of Ukraine through existing networks, including other 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.”
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“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.”