My name is Justyna and I am a mom of 2 working in the secondary school in central Cambridge.  I have been helping with finding and arranging the collection points in Cambridge and helping with the fundraising.

Currently I work on publicising the collection points and getting the info to the wider public of Cambridge. I think we have a human and moral duty to help our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Even though we are far- in the UK- we can still do something. A little ray of sunlight from us might be the full sun to someone else. Fundraising, item donation or monetary gift – may not change the political situation, but can save someone’s health or mental wellbeing.

I was raised being educated about the human drive to freedom and the right to life and dignity. I have been educated in war and concentration camp literature where I learned about the human boundaries and the will to survive. Poland, where I was raised, has been a fighter for freedom on the European stage as they started Solidarity movement that broke the Eastern Bloc. Let’s carry on with that heritage. I think that we, free human beings (not just Europeans) have a duty to protect the human dignity that everyone holds.

When I was a child one quote from “Schindler’s List” film imprinted on my mind. The quote sounds maybe sublime but everyone can apply it in the little actions of the daily life: “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire”. I would like to live knowing that I can give a ray of sunlight to someone. I want to be sure that I crash my own selfishness offering the compassion to others. For me the humanity is about pushing the boundaries of compassion and persistence.