The Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced hundreds of thousands of children to flee to neighbouring countries like Poland, and among them 152 orphan youngsters.
Their desperate situation spurred the mother of two, Izabella Krawczyk Patel from Chesham, to set up a fundraiser to help the orphans, who are mostly under three-years-old.
Many of them have neurological disabilities like her son, who has autism, Ms Krawczyk Patel said.
“As a mother of a disabled child I can relate to that.
“Those children don’t have anybody.
“It’s heart breaking.
"I’m trying to stay on top of the news but I had to filter it a little bit.
“But there’s only so much you can do, I’m trying to contribute what I can.”
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After a week of fundraising – mainly among her work colleagues – her GoFundMe page had raised over £900 of the £2000 goal.
The money is used to buy nappies, milks, bedding.
Ms Krawczyk Patel, a dual British and Polish national who has lived in England for 16 years and in Chesham since 2015, was on holiday in Poland with her two young children when the Russian attack began on February 24.
“Obviously it was shocking and upsetting to learn what was happening around the corner.
“We in Poland have an influx of refugees, and it’s been fantastic to see the community come together.
“My friends mother took in ten people.
“After the war you struggle to find any supplies in the local shops, as people were getting ready to send them to Ukraine."
People were concerned that Poland could be next, and the applications for passports skyrocketed in the Ukrainian neighbour.
“You live a normal life, and one day you have to pack one bag and take everything you can and leave your job, your house and just move to a country you don’t speak the language.
“What I learned recently, people are sending the children alone and there are children being lost in transit.
“I just wanted to focus on helping the little group of children because they’re so small, and as a mother I felt like I needed to do something.”
The orphans travelled more than 30 hours to reach the town of Ustka, which is only 15 minutes away where Ms Krawczyk Patel grew up until she was 19.
The children’s arduous journey took them first to the reception centre in Przemysl, then to Krakow, Belchltow and finally Ustka.
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“They had a woman with them and doctors.
“When they arrived at the border even the border guards tried to feed the children and look after them.”
The children will stay at their new home for a long time, so continuous support is needed, she said.
"Because of their disabilities, I'm not sure of the likelihood of the children finding a new home."
She thanked Bucks people for donating and said: “Chesham community is great in supporting causes, it’s a great little town.”
The fundraiser can be found here.
Image of child courtesy of UNICEF Ukraine from Kyiv, Ukraine, CC BY 2.0 by Alexey Filippov
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