Texas Baptist Men helping get people out of Ukraine safely
The mass exodus of civilians out of Ukraine is making refugee services at bordering countries an extremely important part of this war.
Texas Baptist Men is helping in that effort.
Rand Jenkins, with TBM, arrived in Poland on Wednesday. In that 24-hour period, he's already assisted about 100 Ukrainian refugees crossing the border into Poland.
Cell phone video narrated by a photographer working with TBM shows dozens of Ukrainians arriving to a refugee site in neighboring Poland overnight. One woman left her parents and sister behind.
"My family didn’t want to go and I made the choice to move," she said.
[PHOTOGRAPHER: So you were by yourself?"]
"Yes, I am," she responded.
Many of the refugees are women and children, as men between 18 and 60 are being drafted for military service. Several churches in Poland have been turned into shelters.
Jenkins and Texas Baptist Men are there to help.
"One of things we're seeing in these relief centers is, once they arrive, they have that look of I just don't know what to do," Jenkins said.
Through monetary donations, Jenkins said they're going to be able to open two additional relief centers along the Poland-Ukraine border.
The facilities provide food, shelter, showers, and clothing.
A sign showing the entrance to Ukraine is seen at the Ukraine-Belarus border crossing on February 13, 2022 in Vilcha, Ukraine. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
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Jenkins said each person there has a gut-wrenching story of escape.
"I talked to a woman who left 1 o'clock one day, because she was just tired of the rockets, and it took her 11 hours to get across the border," he said.
Dr. Matthew Schmidt is an expert in international affairs.
"For Ukraine, this war comes down to the willingness to fight," he explained.
Schmidt said Ukrainians are a resilient people.
"They're getting amazing help from all across the EU and from across the world, and I think they'll work it out," he added.
The European Union voted to allow Ukrainians to work in EU nations for up to three years.
"There is some hypocrisy within Europe here because when you had, you know, people coming in from Syria and Iraq into that part of the world and seeking the same kind of asylum, it wasn't there like it has been for Ukraine. And one has to ask, why?" Schmidt said.
Politics aside, those leaving Ukraine said they’re grateful for the help.
"I think I need to stay here for two days or three days, and then I can go to, I need to find a job. I need to work," one woman said.
A spokesman with Refugee Services of Texas said, at this point, there are no plans to try and bring any Ukrainians to Texas.
He said that's because of the EU's vote to allow Ukrainians to work in those member countries.
Still, some may still make the case to come to the U.S. if they have family here.