The Ukrainian woman picked up her mobile phone and saw three calls made from unknown numbers. As it rang, she feared the call was being made to alert her that her husband, who stayed on in Ukraine, had died. The woman was overcome by fear to such an extent that she fainted and had to be taken to hospital.

It later turned out her husband was fine.

It is one of many stories told to Bryan Magro, the new president of the World Confederation of Past Pupils of Don Bosco, who recently returned from a six-day visit to the Slovakia border, helping Ukrainian refugees.

The purpose of this visit was to determine what type of support can be provided to Ukrainian refugees.

“I saw many things. I have so many stories to tell,” he said, recounting stories of immense support as well as recollections of abuse and despair.

“Another woman with a newborn baby showed me a chat where people were sending her messages asking her to send nude photos of herself and they were ready to pay her. This is the reality of the exploitation of refugees.”

A group of 48 children who lived in a Ukraine orphanage were transported by van driven by a Salesian priest who drove them on nine-hour trips to the Slovakian border from where they were taken to safety.

Once across the border, the children were aided by volunteers from the World Confederation of Past Pupils of Don Bosco, a worldwide network that included Malta.

Another woman with a newborn baby showed me a chat where people were sending her messages asking her to send nude photos of herself and they were ready to pay her. This is the reality of the exploitation of refugees

Magro explained that those over 10 years old are being looked after in four different Salesian houses and the under-10s are living with the families of some of our past pupils.

The under-10s met in a Salesian house to attend online school with their teachers, some of whom are still in Ukraine.

New Ukrainian refugees are helped on arriving at the camps.

“Some teachers are still teaching from their basements. I was talking to some of the children and you can see the fear, hopelessness and loss. They left everything,” Magro says.

But there were also many stories of kindness like the case of a former pupil who opened his hotel to refugees.

“People are giving a lot. I met two pensioners who have a little flat which they rent for €600 a month to top up their pension. They were giving it to Ukrainian pensioners for free,” he said.

Magro recounted how, while at the border, he saw thousands of people just waiting to cross.

“They are waiting to see what’s going to happen next. You can feel the sense of insecurity in the people. Most of them are pensioners or women with children,” he said.

At the border there are volunteers from various NGOs working together to help the refugees. The confederation has about 100 members who greet refugees and offer them food and water then drive them to the nearest refugee camp to register themselves.

Sleeping quarters at the refugee camps on the Slovakian border.

From there, they take them to various accommodation centres and support them to settle down.

From his visit, Magro realised how refugees need help with money if they are ever to have hope of settling elsewhere.

They are provided with basics like food, clothes and a roof over their head but many need money for travel expenses or medicine or to pay rent, since not all get free lodging.

Unfortunately, when it came to material donations not all were up to standard, citing a case of a donated container with medicine which had been expired for 15 years.

Anyone who wishes to donate to the people of Ukraine can do so to the following bank account – Name: Confederation of Past Pupils of Don Bosco. Bank: Lombard Bank Malta p.l.c. Address: Balzan, Malta.  IBAN: MT10LB MA05000000000144052098600. SWIFT Code: LBMAMTMT.