Medicines, electronics and long-life foods; it is all welcome at a collection point that five Ukrainian students from Tilburg University have set up at the Reitse Poort university building in Tilburg. Because help for their homeland is desperately needed, the initiators know.
Marta Dorofey is only eighteen years old. Only a month ago she came to Tilburg as an exchange student from Kiev.
She gives a tour of the warehouse of the university building, while families with children, young people and the elderly trickle in with shopping carts and boxes full of things.
A student from Bulgaria is sorting all the goods coming in. According to Marta, he has been there since the early morning. She has to hold back her tears when someone asks how she is doing for the umpteenth time.
Marta has stopped watching news. “I can no longer look at the number of deaths and buildings destroyed. It is horrific.”
Her family is hiding in one of the bunkers in Kiev. Marta tries to have daily contact. “Every time I have to call them, I’m reminded that they may not answer. It’s a real roller coaster.”
Together with her ‘team’, consisting of 5 other students from Ukraine, they have been working on drawing attention to the situation in their native country since last Thursday. Marta sent an open letter to the university, she wanted to take action and was looking for people who wanted to help her.
And help came quickly. The university supplies boxes, among other things, dozens of students volunteered and transport companies also made themselves heard. “Today we got help from about fifteen volunteers who sort all the stuff. We work according to a schedule, but some are here from early in the morning until late at night.”
Marta announces that they can no longer accept clothes. At the moment, there is a particular need for medicines, long-life foods, personal care and electronic devices. There is also a need for people to help sort the goods.
The counter of the number of packed boxes now stands at 136. Marta never expected so much stuff. “The idea was to have the first truck running on March 10, but at this rate, the first load will have to leave earlier.”
The items are brought to Poland. A logistics center there will arrange the distribution and ensure that it gets to the Ukrainians.
Items can be returned every working day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The collection point is at the Reitse Poort, RT building at Cobbenhagenlaan 109 in Tilburg. You can submit until March 9.