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I Went to Volunteer at the Ukrainian Border — Here’s What I learned

Jakub Ferencik
5 min readJun 18, 2022

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Not that long ago, in early April, I went to Slovakia from Canada, where I have lived for much of my life, to volunteer at the border.

When the large-scale invasion broke out, I was, like many of you, obsessed with my screen. I was constantly watching the news. And for good reason.

This was unprecedented. They were calling it the largest European war since World War II. The war was having unforeseen effects on supply chains, the global wheat production, the strength of NATO, the unanimity of the EU, and so much more.

At the time I was at home working at my job and I couldn’t help but feel like I should do something to help apart from donating.

I purchased a one-way ticket to Europe. Along with the hundreds of thousands helping millions of displaced Ukrainians in Europe, I wanted to be there in person.

Ukraine. Photo by Olga Subach on Unsplash

I arrived to Michalovce, Slovakia, close to the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod, where many arrived as their first stop in the European Union before traversing elsewhere.

Many chose to stay in Slovakia. But some decided to go to Italy, Germany, or France. Most wanted to stay close and that is why they stayed in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, or Czechia.

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Jakub Ferencik
Jakub Ferencik

Written by Jakub Ferencik

Journalist living in Prague | Author of “Up in the Air” and “Beyond Reason” on AMAZON | MA McGill Uni | 750+ articles with 1+ mil. views

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