From the very first day of the invasion of Ukraine, Poles rushed to help. Collections and transports are being organized, and the number of volunteers is currently in the thousands. However, it turns out that this grassroots movement has caused huge problems with coordination – this is due to the lack of effective national mechanisms. A group of logistics companies, after a meeting at the crisis headquarters, set out to create a platform to solve problems with collections, transport, and warehouse stocks. The service is launching soon!
The situation we have had to face in Poland is unprecedented. Increased border traffic and the help flowing from every corner of our country require a strategic approach and anticipating events. It was for this purpose that a crisis headquarters meeting was organized, resulting in the idea of preparing a service whose task will be to centralize operations.
Help from the bottom of the heart
Thousands of collections, tens of thousands of involved Poles, hundreds of offers of help, full warehouses, dozens of trucks and delivery vehicles filled with gifts from Poles – food, clothes, medicines, personal hygiene products. This is what the reality of Polish transport has looked like for several days, passing the test of humanity with flying colors. On the other hand, we have, for now, hundreds of thousands, and soon millions, of Ukrainians who need real help – both among those standing at the border, those who have already found shelter in our country, as well as those who have decided to stay in Ukraine. Unfortunately, despite the generosity and commitment of Poles, help does not always reach where it should, or it arrives but does not meet real needs. That is why the Silesian Crisis Headquarters operating in Katowice asked several logistics companies for help. – On Saturday, February 26, we received a request for help with receiving and sorting gifts collected by residents of the Lower Silesian and Opole provinces. We responded immediately, gathering a group of several dozen people willing to unload, sort, pack, and label products such as medicines, clothes, or food in literally a few minutes. Secondly, we wanted to determine what to do next with the products – which to send first and where to direct them next. This was the moment the problem arose, because no one was able to give us an answer. It was therefore a huge question mark whether the gifts were being sent to the right place and whether we were sure what people needed in the first hours and days of fleeing the war. Verifying the processes from a logistics perspective, we already had several solutions in mind that, when implemented globally, can help locally. – explains Piotr Kocoń, CEO of Świat Przesyłek.
Reaching for logistics
Without waiting for government action, the Silesian Crisis Headquarters organized a meeting with representatives of logistics companies such as InPost, Świat Przesyłek, and JadeZbiore.pl. Representatives of Ukrainian communities also appeared in Katowice to jointly identify and eliminate bottlenecks in the process of delivering aid to Ukraine. The Silesian Crisis Headquarters, being in constant contact with Ukrainians on both sides of the border, pointed out the following barriers:
- Lack of a gift categorization system, which causes not only logistics inefficiency but also makes it impossible to pass the right gifts to the people who currently need them.
- Lack of a gift registration system – on the sending and receiving side – as a result of which it is unknown whether and to whom they reached. Unfortunately, numerous cases of disappearances and the transfer of products to the wrong people have been confirmed.
- Lack of a gift prioritization system – resources are not divided into essential products, i.e., those requiring immediate selection and delivery, and those that can be delivered later. As a result, there are situations where another transport of clothing goes to Ukraine, while a transport of medicines waits for the return of vehicles. The lack of a system also makes it impossible to rationally manage human resources – e.g., at the sorting stage.
- Due to the lack of coordination of activities and information regarding the further destination of transports, there are situations where the transport is unloaded in random places after crossing the border so that drivers can quickly return to the country.
- The appearance of individuals and specialized groups that misappropriate more valuable cargo.
A service that will join forces
As reported by the coordinator of the Silesian Crisis Headquarters, the above problems were reported based on authentic situations, as well as numerous reports from residents of Ukraine. The parties present at the meeting jointly determined that there is a need to create a centralized system that would aggregate deliveries to Ukraine in one place, and at the same time could be used as a communication channel between those who need this help and those who are able to respond to these needs. This is how the idea of a platform was born, where anyone can donate, offer transport, share their warehouse space, or become a volunteer. The service is already in the testing phase and will soon be made available at 4-ukraine.eu. – 4Ukraine is a place where we will be able to send a package with gifts and find out exactly what the headquarters need. Drivers will receive instructions on where to pick up the shipment, and people willing to help will learn how to become a volunteer. The service combines powerful logistics tools with a simple and transparent interface – continues Piotr Kocoń.
Let’s keep helping together!
The Silesian Crisis Headquarters and the logistics companies involved in the creation of the platform invite everyone who can help to cooperate. In particular, coordinators of collections for Ukraine and representatives of transport companies. – Responding to the needs of Ukraine reported to the Silesian Crisis Headquarters, we have created a formal organization that undertakes actions to increase the effectiveness of aid activities, but also to make even better use of this beautiful surge of hundreds of thousands of Polish hearts. We are creating a huge logistics base that will be used multi-dimensionally and multi-level, and the result will be the service. We are combining a dozen or so forms and a WMS system in one place, and we are using our experience in creating modern applications and databases. We have no business or political motivation in this. We want real help to reach where it is needed and when it is needed. We encourage everyone who has the same goal to join. – concludes Piotr Kocoń.
All interested companies that want to join the system together with the creators, support with warehouse space, as well as donors and volunteers can apply at jestem@4-ukraine.eu.