‘Refugees come with tears in their eyes’: Maltese volunteer describes experience with Ukrainians

Carlos Chircop, 21, has travelled to Kraków, Poland to help people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Carlos Chircop, 21
Carlos Chircop, 21

With tears in their eyes and their belongings in hand, Ukrainians are heading to neighbouring countries like Poland to escape Russian shelling - and one of the volunteers helping refugees is a 21-year-old Maltese man.

Carlos Chircop is volunteering with Caritos Archidiecezji Krakowskiej in Kraków, where the voluntary arm of the church is helping volunteers by providing food, clothes and accommodation for people crossing the border into Poland.

“Some of the refugees come to us crying or with tears in their eyes, especially when they’re talking on the phone to family members. Some rest on their baggage for a bit of reprieve,” Chircop told MaltaToday.

Chircop said he travelled to Poland because he wanted to help the refugees who were forced out of their homes.

Refugees in krakow resting on their luggage (Photo: Carlos Chircop)
Refugees in krakow resting on their luggage (Photo: Carlos Chircop)

Chircop pointed out that a lot of refugees are trying to get basic things, such as clothes for children. Many of the refugees he has encountered are women and children.

One of the reasons for this is because men aged between 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country.

Chircop said that a soup kitchen had been set up as well as clothing stations, food stations, a place where refugees can get items such as nappies, shampoo, and other hygiene products. There is also a medical station which is run by the order of St John to attend to people who might need medical attention.

Refugees outside the centre in Krakow (Photo: Carlos Chircop)
Refugees outside the centre in Krakow (Photo: Carlos Chircop)

He said that despite the fact that the shelters set up may not be ideal, the refugees are still better off than they were in Ukraine as they are able to avoid the constant shelling from the Russians.  

According to the United Nations, High Commissioner for Refugees said that 10 million people have now fled their homes in Ukraine. From that number around 3.6 million have left Ukraine to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Poland itself has taken in 2.1 million refugees to date.

Stocks of utilities for refugees (Photo: Carlos Chircop)
Stocks of utilities for refugees (Photo: Carlos Chircop)

What is the situation in Ukraine currently?

  • Friday marks the 30th day of the Ukraine war. After earlier warning that NATO would respond “in-kind” if Russia used chemical weapons, US President Joe Biden visited Poland.
  • NATO has also pledged to send more weapons to Ukraine to bolster the alliance’s response to the Russian invasion.
  • On Thursday, Russian forces fired two missiles at a Ukrainian military unit on the outskirts of Dnipro, destroying buildings and causing two fires.
  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the country to keep up its military defence and not stop “even for a minute.”
  • The EU and the US have also announced a deal on liquified natural gas in order to reduce Europe's reliance on Russia for energy.