Stories
Success Stories
With the start of the war in Ukraine and receiving many calls from organizations operating on the battlefield and family members of refugees, we realized that there are many organizations and individuals who want to help the disabled and the elderly people. However, in place, representatives understood that they needed more specific guidance and understanding of what it means meant to be part of an ACCESSIBLE evacuation. It was important to create an evacuation sequence and train volunteers people how to act in such situations – how to assist, communicate specifically people with various disabilities including the elderly. Justin That is why we have developed a course on working with people with disabilities in emergency situations. You will learn what to do in a given situation, what actions to take and how to help people with disabilities. Our task is to provide assistance with the evacuation of people with disabilities in war zones and other emergency situations and throughout the sequence.
Watch: Oleg’s story about the rescue from Kharkiv
Evacuation of a woman from Kharkiv
Our volunteers evacuated a 55-year-old bedridden woman from Kharkiv who had not left her house for 13 years. All she had were her belongings and her cat. On the train to Lviv she met a lonely, elderly man whom we helped too. The woman was taken to Poland and the man to Germany.
56 people were taken out of Mariupol
56 people were taken out of Mariupol, mostly orphans and seniors whose relatives were involved in defending Mariupol and the Azovstal. Our partners managed took them to Kyiv, then to Lviv by train and finally to Bulgaria by bus.
Among the most complicated evacuations was that of a soldier who suffered multiple injuries and was paralyzed
Among the most complicated evacuations was that of a soldier who suffered multiple injuries and was paralyzed.
Before the scheduled transport, the soldier suffered from a high fever and the mission was aborted. Once his condition stabilized, he was taken to the border, where he was not allowed through because he did not have the right documents.
A month later, after the documents were completed, and following further medical care, the veteran was taken to Tilburg for treatment and rehabilitation.
Rescue of an elderly woman to Germany
A 90-year old bedridden woman who we were able to send to Germany. Our volunteers found an ambulance that took her from Lviv to Germany, where she is safe and cared for.
Coordination of a kidney transplant in Switzerland
This is the story of a mother who donated a kidney to her son. Such surgery requires rehabilitation and nephrologist supervision. We found excellent conditions for them in Switzerland.
Rescue of an amputee on a wheelchair from Berdyansk
An amputee on a wheelchair from Berdyansk was brought to Poland by volunteers with nothing but his Ukrainian passport. He lived in a nursing home in Berdyansk, but was discharged after expressing his pro-Ukrainian position, left to die on the street. Our volunteers brought him to Zaporizhzhia, then to Lviv and finally to Poland. Ukrainian and Polish volunteers are now looking for a place for him to live in Poland.
Rescue of 2 youths with Down Syndrome from Laviv
We helped two youths with Down Syndrome move from Lviv to Warsaw by car and found them places to stay there. They left with their parents and now continue their normal and peaceful life.
Humanitarian rescue for an elderly woman from Stary Saltov
A 73-year-old woman from Stary Saltov (a district near Kharkiv), currently occupied by the Russians. After two weeks under occupation, without proper food and conditions, our volunteers managed to get her out. She was in a terrible state; exhausted and unable to move independently. We brought her to the hospital in Kharkiv to recover and she is now safe.
Family rescue from occupied territory
We helped a woman and her children get out of the occupied territory following constant bombardments and after her house was occupied by Russian troops. They all suffer from shell shock and psychological trauma. The Russians’ use of chemical agents caused a severe ear infection in the baby who is now deaf and in need of treatment. The family is now safe and we hope that the child’s hearing can be restored.
Galina rescue story
Every man and woman have a name, has a face and we do everything to not leave anyone behind. This is our commitment; this is our mission. In three weeks, it is Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel and around the world. Yesterday with the help of the partners in Operation Purple Vest Mission
We rescued Galina, an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor from Kiev with disabilities That for the second time in her life she is forced to flee her home. These are the faces and names of the war in 2022. And we call on you to mobilize and help us to enable people with disabilities and the elderly to reach a safe place for them and grow old with due respect.
Together we saved Tania
Tanya is a Holocaust survivor with a disability who lived until yesterday in the city of Chernivtsi in Ukraine. A few days ago, we received a request from the center of our “accessible rescue” operation from her family members living in Israel to help with an accessible rescue for her from the inferno. We acted immediately, we activated representatives in the field, we did not give up, and here Tanya crosses the border into Poland, and as early as tomorrow she will board a flight to Israel. Thanks to everyone in @Rescuers Without Borders who helped make this happen.