PETR JEŘÁBEK , SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS MANAGER , CZECH REPUBLIC When Russian troops invaded Ukraine , Petr Jeřábek ’ s group chat in Prague lit up with ideas about how to help besides just donating money . “ One of my close friends is of Ukrainian descent and another has a partner from Ukraine , so we knew we needed to help somehow ,” he says .
Within days , the group of 14 had gathered five vans and three family cars to drive the nearly 1,600-kilometer round trip to the Ukrainian border and back to bring refugees to safety . They left before sunrise , and after driving some 12 hours through the Czech Republic and Slovakia , the caravan ( which was also carrying medical supplies ) arrived at the small Slovakian village of Vyšné Nemecké on the Ukrainian border . They were only allowed to drive one car at a time to pick up their refugee passengers at the Red Cross station . Finally , they collected some 60 people : mothers with children , the elderly , even pets , and took them to the Czech Republic . ( The eight-seater silver bus Jeřábek drove carried a bulldog .)
Jeřábek says he knew he couldn ’ t ask the people he drove much about what had happened to their families — among them husbands left in Ukraine who had joined the army , maybe even were killed . The stories are heartbreaking , he says . “ I think the most difficult part of any war is when you connect the news all of us see with real people ’ s fates , people you physically meet .”
A van transporting refugees to safety in the Czech Republic travels through Slovakia , with the High Tatras Mountains in the distance , left . Children snuggle new toys during the journey , below .
From left , Kinga Kalinko , Iwona Romanska , Kamila Maria Byrska , Anna Wojcik- Lubzinska , and Joanna Sznur- Oleksiewicz helped unload , sort , and repack food , clothes , and hygienic products in Wrocław , Poland .
JOANNA SZNUR-OLEKSIEWICZ , EMEA LEAN SIX SIGMA PROJECT MANAGER , POLAND As refugees began arriving in Poland , Joanna Sznur-Oleksiewicz was so upset by what she saw that she couldn ’ t eat .
“ The war took us by surprise , the number of refugees took us by surprise — no one was prepared for this . They have lost all peace and security . They are hungry , and sometimes with only one suitcase in hand and a scared child in the other ,” she says of the refugees . “ The shock , disbelief — I knew then that I would have to help somehow .”
She personally donated food , clothing , and money , and did what she could to help the Ukrainians new to Poland find jobs . But she also was inspired to lead the Wrocław corporate social responsibility team , spending some 20 hours per week in the first month of the war planning and organizing various support initiatives and coordinating HP volunteers to unpack relief supplies from trucks , then sort and deliver them to refugees , among other activities .
“ Chaos was growing by the day — it was difficult to talk about any orderly action ,” she says of the early days of the war . “ The most meaningful thing from my perspective was to control the chaos , to direct the actions , to redirect the energy in a wellthought-out way .”
As things have settled into more of a routine , Sznur-Oleksiewicz has to spend less time organizing . Not one to stand by , she ’ s already moved on to what she thinks will be the more difficult challenge : long-term assistance for refugees . “ We are already thinking about it and we have ideas ,” she says . J
HP FOUNDATION UKRAINIAN RELIEF
$ 250K
Direct grants , including :
UNHCR $ 100K for essentials for refugees
UNICEF $ 100K for supplies for children and families
POLISH RED CROSS $ 50K for medical and shelter aid
$ 3M
In-country grants for local organizations , including : $ 2M Poland $ 500K Romania
$ 300K Hungary $ 200K Slovakia
$ 283K
Matching employee cash donations to UNHCR , UNICEF , and 60 other organizations collecting Ukrainian relief
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