Charli Carpenter
The images from Poland earlier this year were inspiring: As refugees began to cross Ukraine’s western border, Polish citizens poured out of their homes to receive them. They set up soup kitchens at the border and established caravans to shuttle refugees to train stations. They opened their homes and beds to families passing through, and as the days went on, a stream of international grassroots volunteers showed up to support the relief effort.
As the weeks passed, however, many Poles began asking, Where is the national government in all this? Some were angry that the Polish government took credit for their grassroots efforts even as it stalled on funding them. Ultimately, in response to mounting public pressure, the Polish government passed a bill to provide support not only to the refugees, but also to the families who had helped them.
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