THE MAN behind a Bournemouth group supporting Ukraine has spoken of his life-changing trip to the war-torn country.
Karol Swiacki, the organiser of the Help from Bournemouth to Ukraine group, embarked on a gruelling week-long trip to Ukraine to see the impacts of Russia’s invasion.
He said: “I cannot unsee what I saw there. It changed my life.”
Karol was supported by friends Daniel Sulimierski, Janusz S Gorski, Roman Lysythuk and Andrey Polovko as he travelled through the warzone to see the devastation caused.
Karol said: “Everything was destroyed.
“I went to a market. Rockets hit that market in the middle of the day when there was almost 2,000 people there. People were dying. It was a nightmare.
“If you do not believe in God, believe in the Devil.”
The trip follows months of hard work by the group, which became Dorset’s main fundraising effort with an overwhelming number of donations for Ukraine.
While Karol was absent, volunteers continued to work daily to keep the operation running. He said: “While I was away, they prepared the donations, and the truck was loaded.
Read more: Help from Bournemouth to Ukraine effort is 'saving lives'
“These guys are fantastic. I really believe in them, and I am so proud.”
Karol told the Daily Echo that although the trip was heart-breaking, it has fuelled him to continue growing the organisation and work even harder for the people of Ukraine.
He said: “If you see what is going on with your own eyes, you cannot leave it behind.
“I know a lot of people are counting on me. They said when I was not here the heart of the organisation went away.
“I’m not going to give up. That trip has given me the power and fuel to do more.”
Read more: Help from Bournemouth to Ukraine group travels to warzone
Karol is now calling for large companies and businesses to support the Help from Bournemouth to Ukraine operation in helping Ukraine on an even bigger scale.
He said: “I think an organisation like us, doing what we’re doing, we can change the world.
“But I believe we’re too small at the moment to do that.
“With the help of bigger companies, we can change reality quickly.
“If we do not help them, Ukraine will burn.”
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