Three young people about Ukraine support from the Netherlands
powerless
Anna has had a knot in her stomach since the start of the war in Ukraine. Her grandparents, nephews and former classmates are all currently in the war zone. “It’s terrible, I feel so powerless,” says Anna. She is silent. Every day she calls her grandfather and grandmother in the morning and in the evening. “I want to check whether they are still alive. They are very short conversations, because contact with the country is difficult. They do not always have electricity there.”
Anna herself lives in Beverwijk, together with her husband and baby. The situation is huge for her. “I have there to go to Ukraine, but I can’t leave my baby here.”
Sort, pack and load
But doing nothing is absolutely not an option for Anna. From the Netherlands she does everything she can to help the people in her mother country. “I started a fundraiser in my vintage shop. The intention was to collect a few bag of tools, but that got a bit out of hand. In a positive sense.”
Soon the store was filled with stuff. Even outside, the bags of clothing and medical supplies started to pile up. Anna works with organizations such as SOS Children’s Villages Poland, which receive refugee people in Poland. The supplies are transported by freight transport to Warsaw, Kiev and Kharkov. Via the Instagram page Volunteers can sign up for the collection to come and accept the items. “We had to work quickly in a short period of time. We have already switched locations twice. Logistically, everything is now well organized. The transport is in place, so it’s a matter of getting ready, sorting, packing and loading.”
meeting point
Many emotions are released during the collection of the items. “The best thing is that Russian people and Ukrainian people meet here. They hug each other. They don’t want the war,” Anna says. “There is no hatred, everyone is equal and we demand it stop.”
Anna hopes you will consider the situation in Ukraine. “Your family is close and safe. Take a few seconds to think about that.”