US ambassador urges assistance to NGOs helping Ukrainian refugees

The U.S. ambassador to Poland on Monday called for “injections of cash” to help leading NGOs assist Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia with finding shelter in Poland.

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski said NGOs such as Polish Humanitarian Action have operated generously but that they “need money to support the continuity of that generosity, particularly as capacity is tested.”

The ambassador spoke Monday at a Washington Post “World Stage” live event moderated by Post columnist David Ignatius.

Recent United Nations data shows that over half of the nearly 4 million refugees who have fled Ukraine since the start of the conflict are in Poland alone, straining the country’s resources and economy.

Refugees need critical services upon arrival to Poland, said the aid organization’s press officer Helena Krajewska. That includes things like food, water and hygiene products, as well as medical treatment for conflict-related injuries and ailments that can no longer be treated in Ukraine.

“In Poland, the needs are shifting [from] short term to long term. So it’s no longer just rapid humanitarian assistance on the border or in the cities or on the railway stations,” Krajewska told The Hill during a video interview from Lviv, Ukraine.

An additional 1 million Ukrainian refugees are now in Lviv, Brzezinski estimated. He said many remain there in the hopes they can return home once Russian fighting stops.

But if war intensifies, Brzezinski said, the refugees could surge west into Poland, which also stands to put additional pressure on resources.

“There are no apartments available in Warsaw right now. All the apartments have been scooped up by either refugees or those hoping to support the refugees,” the ambassador said.

Polish Humanitarian Action has operated in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed far eastern parts of Ukraine on its border and the coastal area of Crimea. 

Now, the organization works predominantly at the Polish-Ukrainian border, all the way to the west, as well as within Poland to provide basic-needs services but also education, legal, career and social services. 

Refugees need help even after they’ve crossed the border and after they’ve found shelter, Krajewska said. She added that integration is crucial: Ukrainians need to learn Polish, resume studies, find child care and find work. Many have also been traumatized by the war and need psychological or psychosocial care.

Refugees also need essential legal documents they may have left at home, like driver’s licenses or other recertifications, so Ukrainians can get back to work and support themselves, Krajewska said.

The aid group also provides cash assistance. In partnership with CARE International, they’ve given about 20,000 refugees “cards that work like debit cards so people can get back control of their lives and decide what they actually need right now.”

That’s why “cash donations are the most efficient form of assistance” for aid efforts, a spokesperson from the State Department said. “Unlike material donations, cash involves no transportation costs, shipping delays, or customs fees. It also enables relief organizations to spend more time providing aid by spending less time managing goods.” 

Cash assistance can also help the struggling economy because buying goods such as food can boost local markets, Brzezinski said.

Brzezinski said aid efforts should recognize that “the intent of refugees is to stay in Poland” because of the familiar Slavic language, culture and food – making it easier for refugees to communicate and assimilate “than if they go to France or Spain or Italy or someplace else.”

Ukraine is also geographically close to home. 

“The proximity is such that the Ukrainian refugees, who very much hope to return home, want to stay close so they can pivot and move quickly when the time is right,” Brzezinski said, adding that the timeline for Ukrainians in Poland to return to their homeland remains uncertain.

“We have to assume that this crisis will be enduring, perhaps into the long term,” Brzezinski said.