Edison man joins religious coalition in Poland helping refugees flee Ukraine
Volunteering to help Ukrainian refugees at the Polish border has changed Edison resident Bhagwatprasad Patel's life.
“There is a lot of grief and pain on the faces of those who are crossing the border,” said Patel who is known as BP. “And yet there is so much hope and resilience. So much compassion and unity. The resilience I have learned here will stay with me forever."
Patel, along with three other members of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha mandir (temple) in Robbinsville, decided to make their way to Poland to help refugees fleeing Ukraine after seeing the tragedy unfold on television.
BP Patel and his companions – Dharmik Sheth, Ravi Patni and Darshan Patel – were motivated by a religious commandment to serve others.
"Growing up in a Hindu-American household meant that selfless community service (seva) was a big part of my upbringing," BP Patel said. "Watching the news at home about the Ukrainian refugee situation encouraged me to find a way to serve. I just had to. When I heard that BAPS was setting up a refugee camp and were going to serve the evacuees. I jumped on it."
Now based in Rezszow, Poland, on the Ukrainian border, the men are helping to distribute humanitarian supplies and help international students and others fleeing Ukraine.
More: Inside the international car caravan helping Africans, Middle Easterners escape Ukraine
More: Beyond Ukraine: Six more humanitarian crises where your help can make a difference
Sheth, a pharmaceutical professional from Mercer County. left his wife and three young children at home. Like the others, he used his own money for airfare.
"Since we started about 48 hours ago, we have had about 3,000 people come through the camp," Sheth said. "Helping others through selfless service – ‘seva’ – is a fundamental principle of BAPS Hinduism. I am following my faith – and my family tradition. My father also volunteered during humanitarian crises when I was a boy."
The mandir also is sending supplies to support relief efforts in Ukraine. According to Siddhartha Dubal, a BAPS volunteer, the mandir is hoping to partner with a Ukrainian church in Mercer County and Meest Corp., a Woodbridge-located Ukrainian logistics company, to help with efforts closer to home.
"Service has been a key expression for the foundation of the Hindu community here in Robbinsville," said Sadhu Nilkanthsevada, a mandir member. "We are working with local members of the Ukrainian community and our volunteer forces on the ground in Poland to send necessary humanitarian aid via our logistics partners. The volunteers who flew from New Jersey are sending us back information about supplies needed on ground. We are trying our best to supply them."
The Rezszow BAPS camp is about four hours from Warsaw and was set up by the Polish government.
According to BAPS officials, there are an estimated 16,000 Indian students still trying to flee in Ukraine. BAPS is working closely with the Indian government and the Polish and Ukrainian governments to get them out. The American BAPS volunteers are helping to operate a vegetarian field kitchen to provide hot meals for the Hindis committed to plant-based diets.
The Indian government is helping Indian students – and those from Europe and Africa as well – escape Ukraine and get to the Rezszow refugee camp, according to Patni.
"Once they arrive at the camp, we work on registering them, feeding them, giving them a place to stay and rest up before processing them to go to the airport for a flight home," Patni said.
email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Edison man joins faith coalition in Poland helping Ukrainian refugees
