According to Anni Vuohijoki, the war in Ukraine has been difficult to deal with. The bus service is scheduled to leave for Poland this week. The drivers and the car have already been found.
Weightlifter Anni Vuohijoki thought on Sunday night together of his friend’s sports and finnish influencer Laura Peipon with how they could help the victims of the Russian invasion. The idea of applying for refugees by bus from Poland to Finland was born.
– I thought that when I could make an impact, I could do more than just hang out on the couch at home. That’s where the idea started. Then I asked on Twitter if I could find a couple of bus drivers there.
Goat River thought the tweet would hardly reach anyone. By Monday afternoon, the drivers were already clear.
– Schedules have yet to be agreed. We have found an interpreter for the Russian language. It is important that we have someone who can talk to the locals. They may have war traumas.
A bus had also been found on Monday night.
Vuohijoki says he talked to professional drivers. According to them, it would be easiest to get a bus from Estonia, as the cost of transporting a bus by ship is high. Goat River plans to transport hospital supplies and food on the bus.
– Poland is in a difficult situation, with an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 refugees. It is difficult for them to handle it alone. It should be distributed in Europe.
The Goat River estimates that the round trip will take two or three days.
War is hard to deal with
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and local distress have touched the Goat River, 33, deeply. According to Goat River, he is so young that there is no point of comparison from his own experiences. The last time Europe had a full-scale war was in the early 1990s, when Yugoslavia disintegrated.
– There has always been talk of Russia and the threat of Russia, but war has been a rather distant idea. Is no longer.
Goat River says his weightlifting friends are stuck in Kiev. He does not disclose their names, citing privacy.
– They haven’t gotten out of there. It is sad. Maybe that’s why I’ve taken a more stand on the some than before when I thought sports and politics don’t belong together. However, war is such a big factor in human rights that I think everyone has an individual responsibility to take care of it.
For the Goat River, the war in Ukraine has been an absurd thing that has been difficult to deal with. Ignorance increases insecurity. He has sought to follow the views of experts.
– For example, Deputy Professor of Military Sciences Antti Paronen the Defense Forces has told openly how the war works and why, for example, nuclear threats are made. After reading them and other common sense, it has calmed my own mind as well.
The bus journey requires cooperation with local authorities
Vuohijoki and his friends, who won bronze at the European Weightlifting Championships in 2018, have received help with practical questions from the Toivo Volunteer Association in Espoo, which has already organized auxiliary transports.
Any bus may not get to Poland as there is a lot of traffic at the borders. Things need to be dealt with in advance with the authorities. Vuohijoki has received from the association the contact details of those who need to be notified of the transport. The Polish organizing body must be informed in advance how many people will be able to be picked up. The authorities provide information on the people to be picked up and the pick-up locations.
– One bus can’t accommodate 300,000 people, but if it were 50, it would be ahead, says Vuohijoki, who works as a doctor.
Vuohijoki says that there is no external financier for the project. According to Vuohijoki, there are three women in the project.
According to Vuohijoki, the most expensive item is the bus transport fee from Estonia. Food is still to be arranged. The trip is scheduled to leave this Sunday.