Robin, de zoon van international Past President Phyllis Charter woont en werkt vlakt bij Warschau. Zo kwam hij in aanraking met de ellende in de Oekraïne en de vluchtelingencrisis. Hieronder zijn verslag.

Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine

With the invasion of Ukraine after weeks of watching armed Russian forces doing so called “peaceful military exercises” on their Russian and Belarus borders we are now seeing the full force of a large nuclear army forcing a peaceful and independent country into submission.

Nobody was prepared for the millions of women and children being forced from their homes, with all that they could carry, to their nearest border for a safe haven away from the cruel and unjustifiable destruction of their homes and communities.

By train, bus, car and even walking they arrived at border crossings with not even a bed for the night.

With our son Robin, Marta and family living near Warsaw, where he runs our Agricultural Machinery business, we soon heard of the desperate need for food, water and other everyday essentials – that we take for granted – from the Ukrainian family he had taken into their home.

With Marta’s company Folkstar, her parents wholesale company and others able to supply and even give many of these products along with a neighbouring transport company offering free transportation across the border to the centre of Ukraine of all that we could supply – our Inner Wheel, Rotary and other friends immediately offered funds so that we could buy goods in Poland and get them to the heart of the country and the hearts of the people where the need is most. This saves the expensive transportation and ferry costs of the 1300 to 1500 miles (2 x for the return journey) that much of the aid from this country is incurring.

Already we have sent two consignments to Khmelnytskyi, as far as the convoy dare go, on a so-called safe route from where it is distributed. In addition to this, Folkstar staff are taking food, water and other essentials to the refugees who are waiting by their thousands, in freezing weather, to cross the Polish Ukrainian border.

This is not a short-term problem and our continued help will be needed for thousands more families as they leave their homeland – and menfolk – to seek safe shelter and a roof over their head. 

On their behalf a BIG THANK YOU and I give you my assurance that every penny that I receive will give more than its value in aid.

International Past President Phyllis Charter

Je kan Robin en Marta helpen door geld over te maken aan:

• Rekening houder: Marta Wróbe,
• Valuta: PLN
• SWIFT code: WBKPPLPP
• Banknaam: Santander Bank Polska S.A.
• Bankadress: al.Jana Pawla II 17,00-854 Warsaw
• Land: Polen