“Poland has opened its doors to over 2 million people fleeing the war in Ukraine in just a month," said Jan Egeland, the NRC’s Secretary General, who officially launched the new facility with Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.
"The generosity of the Polish people is an example to the rest of Europe, but has left Poland stretched and overwhelmed, as volunteers, local authorities and aid groups work night and day to meet the needs of those crossing the border,” he added.
More funding is needed to directly support organisations on the frontlines of the response, in Poland and other neighbouring countries, as well as in Ukraine itself, the Norwegian Refugee Council has said.
It added that international donors, including the United States, should focus their funding efforts on local actors and organisations working with local NGOs in neighbouring countries and those inside Ukraine, who have taken on the heroic work of delivering aid since the first days of the war.
At the new reception centre, located at Warsaw's Wschodnia railway station, the NRC plans to work together with its local partners, including the Polish Centre for International Aid and the city of Warsaw, to provide meals, medical services and psychosocial support to 1,500 refugees expected to be staying there at any given time.
“The international community needs to scale up its efforts to relocate people to safety and ensure they can start anew after their lives were shattered by this senseless war," said Egeland.
He added: "Poland has shown what international solidarity should look like. EU leaders should convene a European Summit where heads of governments agree on real responsibility-sharing."
The NRC says it aims to reach 200,000 people in Poland with assistance by the end of April, providing education, psychosocial support, shelter, legal assistance and cash to people in need.
It is working with a number of Polish aid organisations in cities including Warsaw, Lublin and Chełm.
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Source: Norwegian Refugee Council