The future was too uncertain for Khalina Stoyanowka. She waited for days for the war to end. She would have preferred to go back to work.
She teaches Polish and Ukrainian. There was no end in sight. She decided to flee to Poland together with her daughters Alexandra and Veronika. There, her eldest daughter Irena is studying in Lublin, so they had a destination.
At the border, they were caught in a backlog. It was cold, only the car heater could keep them warm. Standing still, they consumed gasoline for about 300 kilometers in 24 hours. The hours were energy-sapping. Khalina’s eyes lowered.
An acquaintance who was traveling with them suffered a heart attack during this time. She died. Everyone was in shock. The exhausting escape is written all over Khalina’s face. It is hard for her not to be in Ukraine, she says. But she knows that she is lucky to be safe. In the meantime, she and her daughters have found shelter with a Polish friend near Przemyśl. She wants to stay near the border.
She waits and uses the time to provide help together with Caritas. She translates for arriving refugees, helps to organize sleeping places, assists with the onward journey and with medical emergencies.
Philipp Spalek for Caritas