The fatigue can be read on the face of Joey Schneiders from Kaatsheuvel. In recent days he drove with relief supplies and some other stuff to the border of Ukraine. On the way, once in a parking lot, close your eyes for half an hour and continue. “At the border I found refugees in degrading conditions,” says Joey. On the way back to Kaatsheuvel, he also dropped off two Ukrainian women with four children in Krakow, Poland.
“I could not see the suffering in Ukraine on TV,” Joey says in the TV program Brabant Today. “A man in Limburg had collected all kinds of relief goods, but had no transport to bring it to Ukraine. I got in the car and drove to Limburg.” The relief supplies were loaded into the car and without hesitation, Joey drove more than fifteen hundred kilometers to Ukraine.
Joey drove haphazardly to the border with Ukraine. “It was cold, about eight degrees below zero. It was snowing and the refugees had lit fire pits to warm themselves. They stayed in shabby tents, it was degrading. I wanted to film it, but I couldn’t handle it .”
Joey’s car with supplies was empty within ten minutes. “On the one hand it was good to help, but on the other it also felt powerless. I had to leave immediately. A Polish woman asked if I wanted to take two women and four children to Krakow. I did. A car ride of three hours.”
Back in Kaatsheuvel, Joey has already had a few hours of sleep. “I’m tired but it gives me a feeling of satisfaction. I plan to go back in a few days. I’m not going to take things like clothes anymore. It’s chaos there. I want to contribute financially. Raise money to buy things that really help people. Then donors also see where their money is going.”