I am Jakub Jaworski. I was born and raised in Poland, however in my adult life I settled down and started a family in England. I guess in many ways I am like most middleclass hardworking folks. I always make sure I can provide for my family and strive to give my kids a better childhood than the one I had. Here's me with my family, my happy place.
In the beginning of this year my life drastically changed when I felt a calling to go back to my home country. The genocidal war crimes Russia is committing in Ukraine are so barbaric that I could not just watch from afar anymore. Therefore I traveled to the Medyka border crossing. Medyka is in what was once a very remote and rural part of Southeastern Poland, but is now officially the busiest border crossing for people fleeing the war and genocide. I know these once sleepy neighborhoods very well, because they happen to be the part of Poland where I grew up.
In the months that I have been here I've engaged in countless hours of humanitarian aid relief work in a variety of different ways. I quickly learned that, while I very much enjoy the work of handing out food and clothing to refugees on both sides of the border, the amount of manpower and resources to those efforts are in excess. I found that a more valuable way for me personally to help is by translating (I speak Polish, Ukrainian, and English) and using many other resources I have as a Polish citizen, to help these Ukrainian refugees get to the next step of this unwanted voyage they're on. While doing this I met families that have been torn apart so I have done everything in my power to help with evacuation and transport, in order for these families to be reunited.
A lot of the more significant work I've been doing has also been with an American mate I met named Fred Attia. Freddy and I both came to realize that the most important work we could do was using our funds to purchase medical supplies, medicines, feminine products, batteries... for civilians and soldiers in Ukraine. In order for these refugees at the border to be able to one day return to their homes, we need to help the people currently in Ukraine in any way that we can. Getting them medicine and supplies will help ensure their safety and success!
Freddy came to Poland from New York with his buddy David Black. David, Freddy and I have formed a team of drivers doing evacuations and aid deliveries. So far we have purchased three SUVs for our runs. Our next goal is to add a bigger van to our operation which will enable us to increase the capacity of our transports. I have seen how anything we can get to soldiers, elderly folks, women, and children in Ukraine, truly goes a long way. The funds raised here go fully towards the constant stream of medicine and supplies and the continued efforts we are putting towards growing the operation.
We wish we could show you folks more of what the money goes towards but for safety reasons we can't post pictures of a lot of our time in Poland/Ukraine. However here are a few pics of some little snippets from our experience: In the first picture you can see my comrade Freddy with an absolutely awe-inspiring mother/daughter duo. They came as refugees and ended up staying at the border to help other refugees coming there in transit.
Next you see me giving out fruit and candy to some children. Knowing what they went through to get there, it really makes me feel good every time I can get a quick smile out of them. That right there is what motivates me to keep doing all of this!
In the last picture David makes an appearance. Seems he and Freddy couldn't stop themselves from a quick selfie in front of a beautiful Ukrainian church.
Thank you to everyone that is doing something in response to genocide. We all can do our part in standing against humanity when it is at its worst. That light of opposition we cast in these dark times is the hope we must spread.