In recent days, we've seen horrific images coming out of the war in Ukraine. But one image from a Polish train station is going viral for a heartwarming reason.
Polish mothers and volunteer groups alike imagined what it would be like to be traveling with babies and small children. They realized there was something they could provide that would offer some much-needed relief: strollers.
When Ukrainian mothers fleeing the Russian invasion arrived at a Przemyśl train station on Thursday, they found the platform lined with empty strollers that were theirs for the taking.
More than 1.7 million Ukrainian refugees have been forced to seek asylum away from their country. As of March 7, at least 1,027,603 refugees had entered Poland. The stress of that trip is, of course, challenging for everyone making it. But for those mothers traveling with babies and small children, it's simply unimaginable.
That's what makes the now-viral image so stunning. Imagining a struggling mother with tired arms seeing that small bit of relief when arriving at the train station is a truly beautiful thing. It's an act of kindness that cannot even be measured.
About 1.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine. Many of those refugees are mothers and their children who were forced to say goodbye to their husbands and fathers who stayed behind to fight. Their journeys have, in many cases, taken days.
Because there isn't enough room for Ukrainian refugees to all flee to the same country, many coming into Poland are being redirected to a neighboring country. They are being asked to choose, just after arrival, to make the life-altering decision of which country they will be living in next.
The heartbreak of these mothers' journeys is part of what makes this image, taken by photographer Francesco Malavolta, so powerful. It shows the kindness and generosity of everyone who has stepped up to help those caught in the conflict. While the need is massive, thinking about the incredible relief seeing those strollers must have brought to a handful of mothers is a beautiful thing.
According to the photographer's Facebook page, Poland wasn't the only country with this amazing idea. He shared an image of strollers lined up in the same way at an entry point in Vyšné, Slovakia.
"After the Przemyśl railway station in Poland, also on the border between Slovakia and Ukraine, passengers are brought for those mothers forced to flee Ukraine with their babies," Malavolta wrote in the caption.
