Two friends from Barcelos have joined the Polish-Ukrainian border to take basic necessities and rescue some families and pets. Joanna Ramos and Ava Spekman, both 21, were “upset” by the news of the conflict and decided to roll up their sleeves and go to work.
Young people from Barcelona already have two nine-seater trucks, presented by a local club, with the deposit certified by a company, ready to continue their journey, which should start on Sunday evening. There is also the possibility of taking a third truck, but the cost of the trip for each one is about 2,500 euros, an amount that young women still do not have.
“It all depends on how much we can collect by Sunday, and if we can, we’ll take a third truck. We’re also collecting goods, like medicine and food, for delivery afterwards at the border at a refugee center,” Joanna Ramos tells JN.
The two friends are now waiting for municipal approval to be able to bring their families and pets. The young woman asserts, “We called the embassy and they said the room should inform the families who come here. We already have housing for three families and for the animals as well, we even took a vet with us.”
Joanna Ramos and Ava Spekman put themselves in the refugee’s shoes and it took a toll on them. “My boyfriend and I completed 21 this week and we’ve never seen anything like this in Europe. It was something that moved a lot because it could be with us. We’ve seen a lot of people who have lived well, have had a full life and have lost everything. Imagine putting your life in a suitcase. and run away.”
Donations for this reason can be delivered next Saturday, throughout the day, in shops 5 and 6 of the Centro Comercial do Terço, in the center of Barcelos. Financial donations can also be made via IBAN PT50 0018 0003 1370 1784 0204 0 or MBWay 919153520.
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