Red Cross Journey Emails
Written by Geni McCallum
Published by Red Cross via EDMs (auto emails at each milestone the volunteer reaches)
Lviv, Ukraine – Rzeszów, Poland – 175km
Distance 1 - 7km
Kia ora,
Thank you for deciding to embark on your journey from Ukraine to Poland. We hope that you feel inspired knowing that you are making a lasting, positive impact on the lives of those who need it most. Together, we will learn from their stories of struggle and courage.
We ask you to try to imagine living in a country where political conflicts have escalated significantly since they first began in 2014. In your hometown, there has been constant shelling, and you have spent weeks sheltering in a bunker under your house. Members of your family are having regular nightmares and are starting to show symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To survive, you make the difficult decision to leave with your family.
You leave at night and travel under darkness to the relative safety of Lviv in western Ukraine.. However, you quickly realise the city is overcrowded, and bombs have begun to drop nearby. You know you must now leave this place as well, and travel across the border into neighbouring Poland in the hopes of finding safety, just like millions of others since the escalation of the conflict with Russia. With only one suitcase of clothing among you all, you and your family begin the 175km journey from Lviv to Rzeszów, Poland. That’s like walking from Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) to Whangārei!
New Zealand Red Cross international delegate and security expert John Dyer completed a five-week deployment to Ukraine in 2022. He was based in Western Ukraine, where he saw a different view of the country from what many of us understand.
“There were strikes the day after I left Lviv, and when in Vinnytsia, we had a whole night of alarms. We heard that a number of missiles were intercepted by the Ukrainian defence systems — Vinnytsia is a big city, and we were not close to likely targets if any did land, so we felt ok.” – John.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) has been working closely with the Ukrainian Red Cross, and John says it has been a privilege to support people whose own friends and families are affected by the crisis. “What I have seen the Ukrainian Red Cross doing over there is just heroic.”
Today you begin your journey towards the hopes of a new life and towards the safety of Rzeszów. Poland will probably not be your final settling point, with most refugees forced to head to the closest country available to them. The reality is that many families will have to keep travelling or stay in temporary accommodation for a long period of time before they can begin to think about building a new life for themselves somewhere else. The idea of having a safe place for you and your family to sleep feels so distant as you begin your journey, but hope keeps you going so you continue forward.
Thank you for taking action and making a difference by signing up for your Red Cross Journey. The funds you raise will help support people affected by conflict and disaster here in Aotearoa, New Zealand and all over the world.
Don’t forget to check out our fundraising tips and hints here to start your fundraising journey alongside your physical journey.
Ngā mihi,
The team at Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa (New Zealand Red Cross).
Distance 2 - 49km
Ka pai! Well done for continuing this far on your travels. You’ve been travelling from Ukraine to Poland, and the journey has been intensely challenging for you and the many others who are on these roads with you. It’s estimated that over 5.6 million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. Poland has received the vast majority, with over 3 million people seeking safety there. Some will be able to travel by train or in a vehicle, but others without financial means must walk the full distance. The remaining journey ahead seems overwhelming, but you have no other choice.
You’re not used to travelling for so long or leaving so suddenly. Usually, you live a peaceful existence following a well-established routine, but the comfortable life you lived is now a forgotten memory. Your old neighbourhood was destroyed by bombs months ago, and you can barely believe that you’re being forced to flee for your life. Your muscles are sore, and your backpack is heavy with the items you were able to save during the bombing, yet you keep pushing forward on the most direct route to safety. The hopes of feeling safe and building a new life motivate you to keep going.
There are many others following the same roads, people from all sorts of backgrounds, different ages and fitness abilities. Fatigue and fear can bond strangers together, though, and no matter who you are or where you’re from, you’re all walking the same path.
You remember the words of Nataliya, a red cross worker you met in Lviv “I can still smile when I think about the great unity this war has created among us. Together we help those who need it. It is unbelievable. We have also got a lot of help from abroad which makes me happy, too. You see her words reflected in the actions of those you travel with every day. People help each other along the journey, especially with the elderly, children and people with disabilities. As time moves on, you gradually get to know some people in your group and each share happy stories of home and family to keep distracted from your reality.
Nataliya Semvotska – local Chair of the Red Cross Society in Lviv
Across Aotearoa, thousands of former refugees are doing amazing things in their communities. To read some of their incredible stories, click here. You still have a way to go on your journey, but please know that your courageous efforts will help other refugees find safety and begin a new life for themselves somewhere they can call home.
Ngā mihi,
The team at Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa (New Zealand Red Cross).
Distance 3 - 91km
Kia ora,
Congratulations, you’re over halfway! Thank you for your perseverance. You have now made it to the Shehyni – Medyka border crossing between Ukraine and Poland. It’s one of the busiest crossing points between the two countries, and the lines are long. Here you can cross the border by bus, car or on foot, but whichever way you travel, you know it will be a long time before you and those with you are processed and allowed to enter.
You have heard stories of people having to wait days in the freezing cold to cross the border, so you consider yourself lucky when after only a few hours, the officials come to each member of your group to ask questions and check for IDs. You’re relieved to have arrived but quickly realise there are a significant number of Ukrainian men turning back at the border. Alexandr, a single father you have befriended while travelling, hugs his young daughter Masha tightly. They share an emotional goodbye before he watches her cross the border into the arms of Polish relatives he is unable to be reunited with. He and many others (men aged 18-60) cannot leave Ukraine legally under martial law and are forced to turn around, leaving their loved ones behind and returning to fight in the conflict.
If you have been travelling with male family members between the ages of 18 and 60, you must say goodbye to them here as well, not knowing if you will ever see each other again. All around you, fathers, brothers, and sons are separating from their loved ones as they begin their journey back towards the danger everyone else has managed to escape from.
Your journey is important, as any funds you raise will help to improve the lives of vulnerable people here in Aotearoa and around the world. We appreciate your commitment, and please remember to share it with your friends and family, as the funds you raise help us to support more people in need.
Ngā mihi, The team at Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa (New Zealand Red Cross).
Distance 4 - 133
Kia ora,
Keep going! You're almost there.
By now, you have made it across the border and into Poland, but you’re not quite at your destination yet. After crossing the border, you stopped briefly in the small city of Przemysl. Like many settlements near the border, it is overrun with people fleeing Ukraine, mostly women and children.
While waiting to be treated at the Red Cross health point set up in Przemysl train station, you meet Tanja, a mother heading to Warsaw with her four children. She tells you about her journey so far.
“I come from a town called Krivoy Rog in central Ukraine, and near my house, there is a military base. The other night they were bombing constantly from 4 in the morning to 7. We were so afraid. So, I took the kids, and I fled. But my husband is still there, and I start crying every time I think of that. I am so afraid for the children and the men left behind fighting in Ukraine.”
You’re relieved to have gotten this far. Not everyone on the journey made it, and many of the men were turned away at the border back to Ukraine before getting the chance to reach safety. You need to rest and head to the nearby shelter before setting off again the next morning to get to Rzeszow, your final destination – for now.
Tanja and her children in Przemysl train station
Red Cross has national societies in over 190 countries worldwide, providing aid to where it is needed most. Whilst each local organisation works dynamically to help people in different ways, their ethos is still the same; help where the need is greatest. When disaster strikes on a significant scale, a national society can ask for help, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will mobilise to help those most in need. Since February 2022, IFRC has supported the Ukrainian Red Cross Societies with the delivery of humanitarian supplies, including 202 generators, 602,740 migrant kits, 150,000 food parcels, 144,508 hygiene kits, 113,503 blankets, 77,720 tarpaulins, 3,280-bed camps, 1,063 first aiders’ kits, and 360 mattresses.
Thank you for persevering. You are almost there, and you are helping make a real difference! Remember to share your progress with your friends and family to bring more support.
Ngā mihi,
The team at Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa (New Zealand Red Cross).
Distance 5 - 175km
Congratulations!
You’ve achieved an incredible 175km from Lviv (in Ukraine) to Rzeszów (in Poland). Your hard work and perseverance have gotten you to the end of your journey. You should be extremely proud of your tremendous effort.
Did you know that New Zealand is one of only a small number of countries that accept an annual quota of refugees for resettlement? These are people who have an immediate and desperate need for protection, unable to go back to their home country or stay in the country to which they have fled. Just like the journey you’ve followed.
Refugees are ordinary people who have faced extraordinary circumstances. Here in New Zealand, people from refugee backgrounds are MPs, sportspeople, chefs, teachers, skilled tradespeople, mothers, fathers and friends. They come from many different countries and religions and have experiences and skills we can all learn from.
Our established Pathways to Employment programme includes support with English language skills, updating CVs, validation of existing qualifications, understanding Aotearoa New Zealand workplace culture, and matching jobs to individual skills. This June, our employment services programme launched a new arm – Pathways to Employment-Ukraine. We are offering assistance to Ukrainians who’ve come to New Zealand recently and who are looking for work.
Kate Turska, co-founder of the advocacy group, Mahi for Ukraine, says, "I am very grateful and excited about this programme and the difference that it will make in people's lives.
This is the first programme of its kind in New Zealand dedicated to Ukrainians. To date, Mahi for Ukraine is the only organisation which supports Ukrainian 'refugees' arriving in New Zealand. We hope others will follow suit after New Zealand Red Cross has made this important first step," Kate adds.
Ukraine has a highly educated workforce. Kate says, "Ukrainians provide a talent pool in a number of areas, including IT, medicine, agriculture and engineering in many industries. These people, if given the opportunity, could make a meaningful contribution to New Zealand's economy in areas where there are skill shortages. "While initially, there may be a language barrier for some people, Kate believes there is a strong work ethic and determination to take every opportunity to contribute to New Zealand's society and workforce at any level.
The new team is based in Auckland, where most of the sponsored Ukrainians live. However, support is also available nationally for sponsored Ukrainians who are living outside the city and would benefit from this service. Rebecca Ross, Programme manager, says, “We are excited to be able to offer support to the Ukrainian Community in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We have a great team to welcome new arrivals from Ukraine and support them not only with their journey into meaningful employment but also with other settlement needs that may arise. A number of motivated and highly skilled clients have already joined the programme. We are working with them to access appropriate training, develop their CVs and find suitable work. ”
You are now at the end of your journey, and we are sincerely grateful that you completed such a momentous and significant challenge. You have helped raise much-needed awareness and vital funds to improve the lives of vulnerable people here in Aotearoa and around the world. You’ve helped us make a positive difference in people’s lives – with the deepest of gratitude, we want to thank you.
Ngā mihi,
The team at Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa (New Zealand Red Cross).