Help center "Open Doors" is situated in the youth neighborhood in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria, close to the foothill of the mountain Vitosha. It used to be a university build-ing. Since the 24th of February 2022, however it has changed to a place that saves lives. At the moment it is run entirely by volunteers and offers different types of support to Ukrainian refugees. Most of them are untrained volunteers, which means that many have never done volunteer work before and are not used to an urgent and stressful situation like the current war in Ukraine.
Regardless, people help with whatever they can. Some arrange the donations in the basement. Others receive the retugees at the reception and ask them what they need. Olga is one of them.
A boy continues playing while Valeria, who takes care of the children, is falling asleep towards the end of her shift.
Almost a decade has passed since she moved from Ukraine to Bulgaria and so we communicate freely and are able to bond. For her, the direct communication with people is very important. Olga tells me that she used to be a marketing professional at an international firm. She welcomes the Ukrainians who have just arrived, signs them up and asks them what they need. But her role does not stop there. Being their first contact person who speaks Ukrainian, she experiences people's emotional state and does her best to comfort them. "People do not really understand the essence of the war," she tells me. "They think it is going to be over in two or three weeks and they are going to go home." She helps them understand the necessity to start building a new life and get back on their feet.
Bags full of food donations ready to be distributed.
Kids escape into their own thoughts in a quiet corner of the help center.
A Ukrainian girl, who just arrived, is getting a surprise for her 10th birthday.
Tired people are sitting on a big couch in front of the glass-covered reception, a covid-19 measure that already feels inferior and long forgotten. The atmosphere is hectic, volunteers bringing food, clothes and other necessities to a wide office-like room. As I step inside hesitantly, a man at the door approaches me with "What would you like?" | explain and am let inside. I share my mission with the receptionist and in a couple of minutes, the coordinator lets me into her office.
One of the information spots at the center. A Ukrainian volunteer helps newcoming Ukrainians with information on how to get a Bulgarian number with a discount.
Olga Irzhytska, a volunteer at Open Doors help center in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The center is a fast-paced environment. There is always something happening. A little girl, who just arrived, is turning 10 years old today. People are hustling around to find presents and a cake. She seems the happiest she has ever been. Someone anounces that a famous politician is coming soon, providing a huge donation of fruit. A volunteer walks up to me with a bitter face. "Why does she have to make her PR campaign here? Can't she just go help in the basement? We need volunteers, the whole parliament should come and help if they want to mean something to the people." On my first day at the center, I am also introduced to Valeria and Diana, two 20-year-old girls from a village near Odessa. They work voluntarily in the child daycare Monday to Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm. As I enter the daycare room, Valeria walks up to me with a big smile, greeting me in an
A mutual lesson in caring
old-fashioned, official Bulgarian dialect. | feel a light, happy kick inside, this means we have a common language and can communicate freely, so they are able to tell me their story. Both left Odessa on the 28th of February, unable to take their families with them. They were lucky to find good people that took them to Moldova, where they could continue their journey to Bulgaria.
As I am learning solidarity and community from all the people I meet in the center, I give them something, too. This story is not just about how people come together. It is also about how people welcomed me even from the role of a journalist. Though I am not actively helping in the activities in the center, people light up when they see me. I was told that I improved the mood. And even after an exhausting day, they still smile and come to have a chat.
The entrance of Open Doors help center. A woman walks out with a bag full of necessities, while another takes a cigarette break. Black bags full of donations wait to be loaded on a truck and brought to other help centres.