Good morning,
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in almost 3,500,000 people fleeing and seeking refuge in neighboring countries since Feb. 24. And more than 2 million refugees have entered Poland.
Krzysztof Lis of Krakow, Poland posted on LinkedIn a week ago that he’s opened his home to a family from Kyiv, Ukraine, and showed a photo of a tent in this living room: “This used to be my living room, Lis said in the post. “Since last week it’s a refugee camp. A lovely family from Kyiv lives here a peaceful life (kids love the tent). Keep supporting Ukraine. It ain’t over till it’s over.” The post has over 900 comments sparking conversation. Many support Lis’ actions, yet some are critical.
I reached out to him and we had a video call on WhatsApp. Lis manages Workday HR technology for the Canpack Group, based in Poland, supporting 12,000 users across the globe. Canpack is owned by Giorgi Global Holdings (GGH), a privately-held food manufacturing and packaging company based in Blandon, Pennsylvania. “My labor contract is with Canpack, but I support GGH and report to the manager in U.S.,” Lis told me.
When the war started, Lis reached out to his friends with family in Ukraine to see if they needed any help, he explains. One friend said her elderly mom needed help because her city was shelled, he says. “I picked up the woman from the border, and it was quite difficult because it was in complete chaos,” Lis explains.
She stayed with him for a few days until she was rested, and then took a bus to Prague, he says. After traveling to the boarder and seeing the despair at the train station, Lis wanted to do more.
“I decided to help someone else,” he says. He visited a Facebook group that offered information on how to volunteer and host refugees. A mother, Iryna, her daughter, Liza, age 12, son, Anton, age 9, and their family friend, Alina, all fled Kyiv. They joined Lis at his home on March 8. The mom was born in Moscow. “But the children were born in Ukraine, and their nationality is Ukrainian,” he says.
A difficult and emotional time
The day I spoke with Lis, the children’s grandmother, who fled Ukraine separately, was present. But she will continue on to the Netherlands where her other daughter is currently located, he says.
Lis does have his own family, but their living situation allows for flexibility. He is divorced and his son, Kuba, lives with him every second week, he says. His fiancée, Beata, has a 9-year-old daughter, Paulina. “They also live with me every now and then,” he told me. “[Paulina] decided to give away her room to the refugees,” he says.
I asked him to ask his guests if they intended to stay in Poland and build a life in the country. “They want to go back to Ukraine [when the war ends],” Lis told me they said. “That’s their measure of motivation.” It’s a difficult and emotional time for them, he says. The family wants their story told in hopes of bringing attention to the dire situation of war, he told me. Iryna sent confirmation via email.
Lis says he’s been funding the family’s need out-of-pocket. “But approximately one week after I invited refugees to my place, the government announced that an incentive plan will be introduced,” he explains. “Hosts will receive cca 280 USD per person monthly for the duration of two months. Which is great because I tried to take them shopping few times and they keep refusing.”
He continued, “It was not yet communicated how this money will be distributed. It will take some time before funds are released. Also, the government announced that they will buy hrywna (Ukrainian currency) at pre-war rate. [The family] has some cash that they couldn’t exchange.” Earlier this month, the Polish government set forth a bill that a family hosting refugees from Ukraine could receive up to 1,200 zloty each month for a two-month period, Reuters reported.
I asked Lis his opinion about the state of Poland right now. “It’s a major crisis,” he says. “I think over 2 million refugees came. I think still everything is on the back of normal people like myself, with volunteer and grassroots efforts going, and also mayors in major cities and NGOs [participating]. But there’s an issue with the government, overall, and with the way they treat minorities, the independent media, democracy etc. Right now, the spotlight is on them, so they’ve started to make legislative changes.”
I asked Lis if he thinks his personal experience will affect his work endeavors. “On May 1, I start a new job at Inter Ikea, a manufacturing branch of Ikea, facilitating Workday technology deployment,” he says. “Overall, I’m driven by supporting people. And in technology, that’s exactly what I do.”
See you tomorrow.
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
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Overheard
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