Help for Nastia and Families Fleeing to Poland

My name is Monika Michalak. I was born in Szczebrzeszyn, a small town in Poland not far from the Ukrainian border. I went to University in Lublin, where I got my degree and made lifelong friendships. A lot of my friends from “home” are from Ukraine.

 

Lublin is not even a 2 hours car ride from the border. It's devastating to hear and see what they are experiencing right now. And yet, as the refugees pour in, there is Hope. Many of my friends are taking action as best they can, directly involved in helping kids and families arriving from Ukraine to find shelter, supplies and a sense of security. Since men 18-60 cannot leave the country, mostly they are seeing mothers and small children coming across.

 

I want to share just one of many stories, this one of 12-year-old Nastia, who arrived in Lublin, Poland, barely a week after the onset of this current war in Ukraine.

 

Nastia came to Poland alone; her father had to stay in Ukraine to support the country. Sadly, her mother died 3 years ago due to cancer. She is currently staying with family friends and is very brave and thankful despite missing her father and home. In the midst of all this turmoil, Nastia is a girl who is still eager to learn. Back in Luck, Ukraine, her primary focus was English. She has asked her hosting family if she might attend school in Lublin, and fortunately, they were able to enroll her. While she speaks little Polish, she looks forward to (hopefully) starting school in just a few days.

 

There are so many stories to share, too many, even in this short amount of time. The family Nastia is staying with is hosting three other families, mothers with children and they are running out of space. At this rate they will soon fall short of the funds needed to support them as well.

All donations  will be deposit into my american bank account here in Santa Rosa,CA first, and then from there I will be sending the founds to ,, Jedno Serce,, Stowarzyszenie Rodzicielstwa Zastepczego ,,One Heart,,- Foster Care Association KRS 0000329558 in Miedzyrzec Podlaski, Poland.

It's an organization I know personally and my friends are the ones running this organization and providing the care. Since 2009,,Jedno Serce,, have provided care for children who can not live with their birth families. Since the war in Ukraine started they have expand their care in order to help mothers, children and foster children who are fleeing to Poland from Ukraine. They have already assisted mother from Odessa and 15 children, including 4 with disabilities. They run 2 foster homes and day care center in Poland. Every day they receive new call for help due to very dynamic situation and more and more people arriving at Poland. ,,Jedno Serce,, will support  Nastia and families/kids who are already in Poland and also foster families from Dniepro district in Ukraine who are arriving in Poland.

Donations will be used for providing the families with essential items like: clothing, toiletries and food (they were only able to allow to take their documents and some clothing), the funds will cover the cost of translating their medical,legal and school records,buying the school supplies, organizing transport from Ukraine to Poland, providing psychological and therapeutic support and above all providing them with safe living environment in Poland.

I am SO very grateful to all of you who have reached out to me to check in. To ask after my family and friends who are experiencing this directly, who have either found themselves in danger and fled or are caring for the displaced. I am asking, humbly, for your help in financing some of this support. Whatever that may look like for you.Please remember, all donations count, no amount is too small.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I will be updating this page with information as it comes available.

Thank you,

Monika