Natalia – Sending her two kids to relative safety in western Ukraine, she decided to stay in Kharkiv and aid the most vulnerable. During the Russian siege of the city, she used her own car to haul dead bodies from the bombed-out neighborhoods to mass graves on the outskirts of town. 

Vova – A 26-year-old suffering from a developmental disorder. He spent most of his life in a home in a nearby town.Natalia evacuated him at the last possible moment, just as the Russians were marching in. They have been living together ever since. Vova helps with the deliveries of humanitarian aid. He openly admits that he is scared. 

Sasha – Nervously circles the pile of rubble that used to be his apartment complex. His cellphone is pretty useless, there is no reception in the basement he and his family now call home.

Zhenia – Sent his wife, mom, and kids to safety in Lodz, Poland, then hung a map of the Kharkiv region on his porch. Each time he hears about a Russian missile, he checks how far from his house it hit.

They all hug us and thank us for our commitment, as if we were doing god knows what, while this is all just soap and kasha. We go back to our cozy homes, leaving them in the bombed-out basements…

We don’t know, how much longer we can keep this up. How long we will keep finding those not yet bored by the war, those still willing to support our cause. As of right now, we’re planning at least one more trip. Always one more trip. 

Could the International Children’s Day ever be gloomy and sad? No! Despite all the time and effort we pour into delivering aid directly to Ukraine, we do not slow down at home either. We celebrate the holiday of all kids with an awesome trip to Nieborów – a village famous for its Arkadia English Garden Park and a 17^th century baroque Palace of the Radziwiłł family. A full day of fun and games for over 50 people! There was archery, soccer, horseback riding, toy planes, and a bonfire with roasted kielbasa. Smiles, hugs, and joy all around were the respite we so desperately needed.

Our project to encourage Polish kindergarteners to draw postcards for Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines led to an exhibition at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War!(Національний музей історії України у Другій світовій війні. Офіційна стор.) 

According to the official press release: “It is not by chance that the Ukrainian-Polish exhibition under this name opened in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War today. The words “Children’s Protection Day” this year, when there was a full-scale armed invasion of the Russian aggressor on the territory of Ukraine, sound particularly poignant and painful. In such dramatic times, children need protection more than ever. They also understand this – both schoolchildren and preschoolers. Even children outside our country. After all, Ukraine, without exaggeration, is fighting not only for itself, but also for the entire civilized world. It is very touching – when boys and girls send their drawings, words of gratitude and wishes for victory to Ukrainian

https://www.warmuseum.kiev.ua/_all-news-images/2022/block__1655281013/5.jpg

Ukraine’s Bucha, cleansed by the falling rain, is back! We reach the town center in the late afternoon, after hours of driving. The moment we open the truck’s door, local men come running to help us unload the humanitarian aid we just delivered from Poland. Their faces speak of the burden they carry. Their thoughts allow them to escape for a microsecond, then they are back with us. Larisa, who manages the local relief center, shares their stories. Her daughter used to work there, too, but now she’s back with her military unit somewhere around Kherson. It’s getting late, we won’t be able to hit the road before the curfew. We have to find a place to stay overnight. The apartment we are offered sits in a half-demolished block. The windows have no glass, but there is a table with a crisp white cloth and generous women willing to share their dinner. There is no gas – the supply has been cut to prevent possible leaks or explosions in the damaged building. The town is eerily quiet. The deafening silence is periodically pierced by the wailing of an anti-aircraft siren. Despite all of that, Bucha looks better every day. Volunteers from all over the world have been flocking here to help clear the rubble, excavate the bodies, clean up the pulverized bricks and broken glass. Amidst the ruins, children frolic at miraculously surviving playgrounds.

They’re happy; they no longer have to cower in basements. It’s time to go. The last goodbyes, some final commemorative pictures. The local cops assure us that we can always count on them. Thank you for this earth-shattering experience. Bucha was first on our map. Next week, we’re headed for Kharkiv. That’s where the aid is truly desperately needed. Conquering our own vulnerabilities and exhaustion, we strive to deliver relief where it is needed the most, always directly passing on your generous contributions.

On May 6, postcards prepared by Polish kindergarteners arrived in Lviv, their first stop on a journey to the frontlines. Such a gift from an innocent child protects like a bulletproof vest.

We’d like to officially thank Municipal Kindergartens No. 2, 86, and 191 in Lodz for their support of this project.

Слава Україні! Glory to Ukraine!

Watch a featured segment on Polish national TV: https://fakty.tvn24.pl/fakty-po-poludniu,96/dzieci-z-lodzkiego-przedszkola-wsparly-ukrainskich-zolnierzy,1105235.html?fbclid=IwAR0kc5UbEc4epTNAEKmzCITrpYHQ5v_fWjuwSMfancw6oOXfGMYF9w9LK94

While most of us relaxed and enjoyed their family time over the holidays, others reported for duty early Friday morning. Radek, Anna, and Sylwia joined our bus drivers to evacuate from Lviv people who have been fleeing there from Kharkiv, Kherson, Bucha.

On Easter Monday we were awakened by the news of a rocket attack on Lviv. The train station’s immediate area, where we pick up the refugees, has been hit by five bombs, killing 6 (including a child), and wounding 8. Nevertheless, our coordinators decided to keep going.

Nevertheless, our coordinators decided to keep going. In close collaboration with local law enforcement and Ukrainian volunteers who daily man the station, they managed to evacuate 50 people. Thanks to nerves of steel and thoughtful poise, our team got back in one piece, on the way offering respite and a helping hand to people who only recently hid in basements from incoming missiles. Thank you for your commitment and trust. May the odds be ever in your favor!

Hello! My name is Nick Copernicus and I’m a teddy. I know, teddys rarely travel, yet here I am, on the bus, with my favorite driver Ivan, and my friends, coordinators Ania and Sylwia. Sometimes the bus is empty, sometimes it’s packed to the rafters. The girls tell me that we travel from Poland to Lviv and back. On our way there, I can sit in one of the seats. On our way back, I’m stashed in the luggage compartment. That’s because I’m so big, and every seat is so precious. My job is to welcome kids on board, make sure they light up for a moment after days, weeks of their ordeal fleeing the war. I don’t know much, but I do know that war is bad. So I give my seat up and move below deck. These kids are very tired, they need to sit down to rest. I’m just a stuffed animal, so I don’t mind, I can travel rolled up into a ball. Sometimes I wish I had my own human, but this is war, and in wartime I must serve as many as I can. That’s why I’m here and I will travel as long as it takes. I’m just glad I can be of assistance.

Rett Syndrome, or how a disease robs the parents of a child. Sofia is only 10, but she suffers from a very serious genetic neuro-developmental disorder. Rett Syndrome suddenly manifests itself in healthy girls, slowly limiting the functioning of their brains, spinal cords, and nervous systems. Only six months ago, Sofia was still able to stand on her own. Now, she’s rapidly losing the ability to control her own body, while communicating with her becomes increasingly difficult. She needed a specialist wheelchair to facilitate her day-to-day life, to sit safely, to go for walks. It took us under an hour to decide that we’re stepping in. The wheelchair arrived yesterday. For the first time in ages, Sofia was thrilled, excited. For the first time in ages, Sofia went for a walk.

Thank you for your financial support. You put that smile on her lovely face. Every penny counts.

We have received an official thank you from Sofia’s mom: “Good morning. We are from the Ukraine. We came to Poland because the war broke out. Sofia needed a new wheelchair. She can’t walk, she has epilepsy, so we are tremendously grateful to everyone who contributed, especially the Copernicus Group, thanks to whom we received the wheelchair. She really likes it, she’s thrilled. I can tell that she’s comfortable, as she even dozed off in it today. That’s why I’m so grateful, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

No, mom. Thank YOU for inviting us into this lovely girl’s precious life.