A 22-year-old student, Alexandra Popescu, is the coordinator of about thirty volunteers, including many young people, who welcome Ukrainian refugees day and night to the ‘Gara de Nord’, the Bucharest station.
“We organize everything ourselves I don’t know exactly how many arrive every day, but for sure they are thousands of people who arrive even at night – she explains to AGI in an excited way, overwhelmed by a thousand requests of the other volunteers on how to best meet the urgencies of people who fled the war -. We are looking for accommodation for them, even if most of them leave immediately for other destinations such as France or Germany ”.
A large ticket office was used as first reception point to which yellow and blue arrows lead, the Ukrainian colors, scattered everywhere. Next to those who lend their free time, there are law enforcement and health workers.
The space is full of people, the situation appears chaotic but help is not lacking for anyone.
On the tables and shelves, there are food, drugs, diapers for women and children, which represent the vast majority of those who run away.
The most important station in the capital has been redesigned to help them. In addition to the ‘converted’ ticket office, there are about ten orange curtains in the entrance corridor, intended for more ‘personalized’ assistance, and a banquet where representatives of the general directorate of social assistance of the municipality and the government provide information to those who have just got off the train.
Sometimes the trains carry even five hundred people at a time making their management difficult.
“But we are getting by – explains a municipal official -. The main concern is that of the accommodation, which is made available free of charge. Until nowa everything went well, there was no public order problem. The Romanian people are very generous. You cannot close your eyes with mothers and children. I confess that once I also happened to cry “.
Everywhere on walls and panels you can read information on how to go to the various destinations and the costs required to do so.
The eye is al arrivals board. Every hour or so, the train of salvation whistles for a piece of Ukraine that goes away.