St. Louis U. High Russian Teacher and Director of Global Education Rob Chura traveled to Poland over spring break as part of a personal service project to aid refugees displaced in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 

Chura had originally planned a spring break Cold War Eastern Europe trip with students which would partially take place in Poland. However, the decision was made in December to cancel the trip as the situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic made the trip too unpredictable. Despite the cancellation, Chura decided it would be useful to alter his plans to a solo trip for the purpose of visiting and communicating with St. Louis U. High’s Jesuit partner schools in Poland.

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia forced him to adapt once again. This unexpected conflict put Poland on the forefront of human displacement caused by the war, so Chura pivoted again.

 “When the crisis in Ukraine began, I kind of realized that I'm going to be right on the frontlines of this whole experience,” said Chura. “I thought: why don't I see if I can actually do some service while I'm there and help out with the refugee situation in Poland?”

Working with Jesuits in Poland, Chura was tasked with using his fluency in Russian, Ukrainian and English to help refugees travel and find safety. In one such interaction, Chura met a high school student whose professional plans and aspirations were torn asunder by the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

“I talked to a girl who was finishing up high school, and asked what her hopes were and she said that she dreamed of being a doctor all her life. She doesn't know if that's ever going to be a possibility anymore because the plan was for her to go to medical school in Kiev, Ukraine but now it will be a huge challenge to find a place where she can speak the language, ” said Chura. “I mean, we see on TV the physical disruption, and the horrors of having to flee your country, but lives are put on hold as well, with all their hopes and dreams.”

In lieu of Chura’s experience in Poland, he hopes to aid these refugees even more by financing the Jesuit aid organizations. 

“We are hoping to, through the efforts of One World Club, put together a campaign when we come back after Easter to raise funds to support refugees from Ukraine,” said Chura. “I think that one of the most concrete ways that we really, truly can have an impact is by supporting the efforts of the Jesuit refugee services financially. There's a large amount of support that's coming in already, but it's going to take a long sustained effort to fix this.”