00:00 WÅadysÅaw Gorachowski and his wife Lena have been recognized by the UN for their work in
00:05 providing safe accommodation for refugees. Their hotel network provides 500,000 free
00:11 lodging places.
00:12 On the 24th of February we welcomed the first refugees to the hotel in Lublin. The next
00:19 day we had 16 crisis staff in all 16 hotels. We welcomed everyone who applied. I am proud
00:29 that we managed to survive in such difficult situations.
00:34 It was the 2nd of April, we crossed the border. We arrived in JanĆ³w at the hotel. It was
00:41 night, 2 a.m. When you travel with the whole family, with one luggage, and you don't know
00:47 where you are going. We didn't know. It was just a trip and you don't know where you
00:54 are going to sleep. We arrived and there were cooks, a lot of workers. We got warm food.
01:01 We went to the room that was available to us. The first thing was to sit on the bed and
01:10 we didn't know what to do next. We didn't know, we didn't know. But there was a support
01:25 for strangers. There was a bus full of refugees from different parts of Ukraine. We were
01:32 fed, we were given a bed. It was so important for us. I feel responsible for these people.
01:39 If I have more, maybe I can afford more. It would be a shame if I didn't meet the
01:47 needs of people who were in need. I am proud that we managed to survive.
01:54 The Rogochowski family has been constantly supporting refugees for two years now. This
02:08 is one reason the UNHCR has awarded them the Nansen Prize.
02:13 They have given not more than aid to refugees. They have empowered refugees by helping them
02:20 to find jobs, to get trainings, to get socially included, alongside also other people in need.
02:25 They also help Polish people in need. And secondly, they have mobilized the business
02:30 community, they have worked with cities, they have worked with humanitarian organizations.
02:35 So it's a whole of society approach which we see here and which benefits refugees.
02:40 The Rogochowski family has been vocal about the situation of migrants on the Polish-Belorussian
02:44 border and responded to it by, for example, offering accommodation to those people on
02:50 the move as well. Matyena Chodovnik for Euronews from Warsaw.
02:53 soon.
