Sarah, Duchess of York has traveled
to Warsaw, Poland to meet refugees from Ukraine fleeing their home country
following Russia’s invasion. During the emotional visit, the mother-of-two, who
was being hosted by Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski, spoke with a group of
refugees and described the situation as “heartbreaking”.
Through her charity, Sarah’s Trust, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie‘s mum wanted to highlight the plight of the
Ukrainian people as well as the humanitarian effort being demonstrated by the
Polish people.
Taking to Instagram, the Duchess, who has a close affinity with Poland,
shared a series of touching images and captioned them: “The invasion of Ukraine is heartbreaking to watch.
It is unbearable to see families being separated and civilians being caught up
in the bloodshed.
“I have always believed the smile of a child is the most important
thing in the world, so to see so many children caught up in this crisis is
particularly affecting.
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Sarah has made the trip to Poland amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
“I’m honoured to be welcomed to Poland today by @trzaskowskirafal
and meeting Ukrainian refugees. At least 2.8m Ukrainians have fled their
country since Russia invaded. Poland has taken in at least 1.7m so far. It is a
privilege to meet some of them and hear their stories today. The world has a
duty to support them…”
According to the United Nations’ refugee agency, at least a 2.8million
Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded. Poland shares a
310-mile border with Ukraine and has been taking in the majority of refugees.
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Her charity Sarah’s Trust has donated supplies to refugees in Poland
Sarah also revealed in an official statement: “I want to do my bit
through my charity, Sarah’s Trust, and am here to hear more about what is
needed on the ground. So far, we have organized three articulated lorries
with supplies designed to help refugees from Ukraine in Poland.
“These include clothes for women, children, nappies, hand
sanitizers, toiletries, torches, and non-perishable food like porridge oats.
All of these items have been provided by kind-hearted donors in the UK who I
can’t thank enough.”
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She met a group of refugees on her visit
Explaining her motivation to help others, the Duchess continued: “I
think those of us in countries further away have a duty to help the Polish
people respond to this crisis. Two of our lorries have gone to Rudy and
Czeladz, and the third one will go to the Silesia region. I feel a duty to help
Poland because I feel such a connection to this country, which I first visited
in 1992.”
It was during that first visit that Sarah learned that Upper Silesia had
the highest’s infant mortality rate in Europe due to the heavy pollution in the
industrialized region, and she was inspired to set up an international branch
of her charity, Children in Crisis.
The charity went on to provide help for children in Bosnia, assisted
other charities in aiding young victims of Chernobyl, and worked with Albanian
authorities to help children in Europe’s poorest countries.
