UKRAINE – According to the United Nations, 2 million refugees have already fled Ukraine. They are almost exclusively women, children and elderly people. About a million people have arrived in Poland, where Pawel Terlikowski, founder and CEO of Superexpo, is based.
“I couldn’t just sit back and watch this happen. I had to do something to help,” Terlikowski said. So he packed a truck with food and medical supplies and drove nine hours to the border. “What we see on TV is just a small glimpse of the tragedy that’s unfolding,” he said. “Every moment, lives are in danger.” To help address the crisis, he has crossed the border into Ukraine to bring supplies to those who don’t want to leave and continues to do so. “Insulin and medical supplies are in particular demand,” Terlikowski said.
Terlikowski, a veteran trade show executive, excels in logistics and has become a go-to guy for getting goods to people in need. “I’ve become a connector,” he says. A family Terlikowski met at the border touched his heart, and he vowed to continue helping them.
“A distraught young woman caught my eye. She was clinging to an elderly blind man, her two young children were clearly desperate and struggling. I later learned she had been separated from her own mother in the chaos,” he explained. “I watched in horror as she tried to comfort her 14-year-old autistic son, shaking uncontrollably, while her 5-year-old son clung to her leg as she guided his father and desperately searched for his mother. I helped them navigate the crowd, found his mother and got them to a hotel for the night. They are now in Worclaw, a city in Poland, and I cannot turn my back on this family. I am asking for help for them.” Donations can be made to
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Poland has set up nine reception areas along its border with Ukraine. In addition, exhibition centres have been converted into temporary accommodation for these refugees. One of them, the Ptak Warsaw Expo congress and exhibition centre, has been converted into a refugee centre with 10,000 beds. Playgrounds have been created, as well as a dining room where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. There are toilets, showers and medical assistance. The Poznan International Fair is also open to Ukrainian refugees.
Poland is not the only country hosting Ukrainian refugees. In Romania, the Congress Center in Bucharest, the country’s capital, has prepared to welcome those fleeing the war.
Contact Pawel Terlikowski at [email protected]