Sand, tape, plaster, prime, paint, paint again, watch small children run their hands through the wet paint, try to touch it up, repeat until the least amount of child handprints can be seen. This is a brief summary of the steps taken to brighten up three hallways and two stairwells in a former psychiatric ward that is almost completely occupied by Ukrainian refugees. A thin coating of dust from the grotesque, yellow paint that I sanded all day would cover me from head to toe and I often went home with sore knees and hands. My mind frequently got consumed in work and I would find myself forgetting the importance of what I was doing and who I was doing it for. Without fail, in these moments of low motivation and high exhaustion, one of the many children living at the work site we referred to as “Radymno” would come running through the hall and cheer me up in some way. Whether it was a brief hug, a fist bump, a pat on the head, or even just sitting and watching in fascination as I worked, they somehow knew when I had lost my sense of purpose. I would gladly fix their scuff marks and handprints on our fresh paint hundreds of times over.
The questions I have most frequently received from the time I committed to volunteer with All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) until I left base were “why did you decide to seek out this opportunity” or “what brought you to All Hands”. Everyone on base has different answers, for some, it is a personal connection to Ukraine, for others it is a dedication to humanitarian work, and for most it is a more complicated mix of either both of these reasons and/or many more. My answer is multifaceted and arose two months earlier when I was asked another probing question that forced me to truly consider my plans and motives for the next four to eight years of my life.
Throughout all of high school, I knew I wanted to serve in the United States military in one form or another, so when the prospect of working through some of my training in college through ROTC (Reserves Officer Training Corps) arose, I was sold. I would commit to ROTC for four years of college and would then graduate as a Naval Officer with a four year military commitment ahead of me. Before I began this course however, I chose to take a year off from school to travel and enjoy a little freedom before a rigorous 8 years. Throughout three months of travel abroad and the most time I have ever spent around non-Americans, a question that came up multiple times in conversation was “if the US was to get involved with a conflict that you don’t support while you are fulfilling your military commitment, what would you do?” To be completely honest, I had never considered such a possibility until it was proposed to me by foreigners. After some deep thought, my answer was that the only conflict I foresee US involvement, during my span of military commitment would be that in Eastern Europe, and the cause for Ukrainian independence is one I would happily defend. Though this response sat well with most, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for answering such an important question based on such little information or connection to who and what I would hypothetically be dedicating four years of service to. My sources on the Ukrainian conflict were limited to biased American media. So with a quick google search, I found All Hands and Hearts and decided that three weeks near the Ukrainian border would be a way for me to gain perspective and clarity.
"The unprovoked invasion quickly spiraled to be the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since WWII, displacing 12 million Ukrainians from their homes."
After finding out that programs like AHAH existed, I dedicated an 18 hour flight to finding out everything I could about the Russian invasion on Ukraine. For those who have not yet done the same research, I will give you a brief summary. Throughout October and November of 2021, Russian troops built-up at the Ukrainian border. By February of last year, the estimated 190,000 Russian troops encircling Ukraine awaited command. On February 21st, troops were ordered into Ukrainian territory and in the early morning of February 24th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Russia promising that Ukraine would defend its independence. Later that day, Russian explosions hit cities across Ukraine and war broke out. The unprovoked invasion quickly spiraled to be the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since WWII, displacing 12 million Ukrainians from their homes. Poland has received the highest number of refugees in all of Europe. Many refugees that initially fled Ukraine had the resources to move into private or rented accommodation; however, as the conflict continues, those that are now crossing over and remaining near the border have the least resources and housing options. From July to September of 2022, AHAH’s Disaster Assessment Response Team (DART) was working in Southern Poland to assess need, scope of work, and identify partners to collaborate with in various communities. In October, volunteers arrived on base to get to work on two initial housing projects, Boratyn and Spare Parts.
Three months later, I arrived on base and was introduced to the newest work site, “Radymno”. Like most of the AHAH sites in Poland, Radymno is a dilapidated building that is being repurposed to house incoming refugees. In the case of Radymno, most residents stay temporarily. They are placed there by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) until they are able to find more permanent housing solutions elsewhere. Radymno is a completely active construction site. During my time there, contractors were working on the bottom floor completely remodeling multiple bathrooms and showers. The same contractors also began work in the bathrooms on all three floors which were completely occupied. In addition to the constant noise and dust created by the jackhammering and tile cutting of the contractors, anywhere from 8-18 AHAH volunteers were working to repaint each of the living corridors, the two stairwells, and remodel kitchens on each floor. Between residents trying to live their lives as normally as possible, contractors drilling and cutting, and AHAH doing our best to stay out of the way but also efficiently improve our areas of the building, it’s difficult to imagine how chaotic of a living environment Radymno is.
"For thousands of families living in places like Radymno, 'home' doesn’t exist anymore."
I went into my time in Poland expecting to have questions about Ukrainian and Russian opinion on the invasion and the political in's and out's of the conflict answered. I thought that these were the answers that would help me reflect upon my own service. What I didn't expect was that I did not ask a single one of those questions or have a single conversation about the conflict itself with those fleeing it. Instead, I learned that home-cooked Ukrainian soups are the most comforting food on the planet, if you sit on cold tile around Ukrainian moms they will bring you something to sit on because your butt might get cold, and fist bumps are a universal language to kids. These are the things that made me realize how unimportant the political conversations are. 12 million incredibly brave and deserving people have been forced out of their homes, and their safety is something I would happily spend four years of my life defending.
After returning home, it’s clear to me that the media coverage and publicity about the Ukrainian crisis has significantly died off but not because the issue has become any less pertinent. As the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion is upon us, the destruction that rages on now seems distant and irrelevant. Naturally, the media gets less hits on things that are old news, and stories about destroyed homes and fleeing families get pushed to the backs of our minds as we return to our normal lives. As volunteers, we dedicate a few weeks or maybe more to the Ukrainian cause, but at the end of the day, we get to go home. For thousands of families living in places like Radymno, 'home' doesn’t exist anymore. The AHAH mission is to stay until the job is done. After everyone at home forgets and moves on from the tragedies on the news, AHAH promises to not move on until the victims can too. A year has passed and the headlines on your phone have changed, but as thousands more refugees flee to Poland daily, do not forget that our job is far from done.
For information on the All Hands and Hearts Ukraine Crisis Relief Project, feel free to contact me personally at madeleinepease@gmail.com or visit this link on the AHAH website.
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