It was a deeply moving moment in the hearts of volunteers with Amma Poland (Amma Polska) when they personally met with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
During his recent visit to their country, Shri Narendra Modi thanked them for their timely help and active participation in helping Indian citizens reach home when the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out in 2022.
Held on August 21, 2024, Marcin Król, Bożena Kozłowicz, and Liliana Lato with Amma Poland were invited to meet with Prime Minister Modi during his official visit to their country. Named Operation Ganga, they were among our teams who took part in the Govt of India’s successful evacuation of more than 18,000 citizens, most of them studying at universities in Ukraine.
At the Budomierz border in south-eastern Poland, the Amma Poland volunteers participated by aiding hundreds of Indian citizens who arrived, many from dangerous areas. This included working directly at the crossing with India’s Ambassador, Nagma Mallick.
“I felt very honoured and it was very emotional for me. I remembered all that happened at the border. I was very inspired back then by India as a country. How they were there to help every single citizen leave Ukraine,” said Marcin Król. He led all of our efforts in Poland.
Most of the evacuees were university students and many had been near the frontlines. One of them arrived injured by bullets in an ambulance, while another group was in post-traumatic stress disorder after one of their members had been killed when he left a bunker to get some groceries.
The largest of Amma Poland’s efforts was assisting 600 students who arrived from Sumi, one of the first cities that came under heavy attack.
Overall, our volunteers assisted all people fleeing Ukraine at border points in Poland, Hungary, and Romania. In addition to Indian students, most were Ukrainian nationals, mainly women, children, and the elderly, as men were required to stay back for call to military duty.
Teams helped provide basic needs, shelter, psychological support, and information for next points of destination. Our centres across Europe also gave shelter and assistance to Ukrainian refugees as they continued their journey.
