PEOPLE STORIES

We would like o share with you the story of Piotr (with his permission), the man we recently assisted. Once missing, now is happily reunited with his family. We wish him all the best in his life!

Piotr had worked as a hairdresser in Dublin for 8 months. After that, with his employer’s permission, he went on a month’s vacation to Poland, where his wife and two children were still living. When he reappeared for work on the appointed date, he was informed that his full-time position had been reduced to two days a week. However, the money he earned would not be enough to cover his living expenses in Ireland, let alone support his family in Poland.

Devastated, he returned home. His hosts, an elderly Irish couple, felt that things were going badly for him. He seemed absent, and it was difficult to communicate with him. They decided to let his family know about his condition. Piotr’s wife bought him a plane ticket and they offered to take him to the airport. However, at the same time, Piotr, without asking for permission, got into his host’s car, and drove off in a direction unknown to anyone. He was driving without any insurance, and in a weak mental state, so the owners did not see any other solution but to report the case directly to the police, who stopped the car in a short time. Piotr was taken for questioning, his passport was seized, a meeting with a psychiatrist was arranged, but… The psychiatrist decided that Piotr did not require any treatment! An interpreter was missing. The interview with the doctor was held in English, in language in which Piotr spoke poorly. He left the Dublin police station with the knowledge that within two weeks he would be brought to court for car theft. The weight on his shoulders was getting heavier…. He did not return home.

After a few days, the police took down his details again as he was sleeping in Wexford Harbour. Dirty and hungry, he made his way to Carlow.

Piotr had no recollection of how he ended up in Wexford or how he got to Carlow. He was without documents nor a phone, and had only an ATM card for which he couldn’t remember the pin. But it was thanks to it that his name could be determined. Peter’s family was relentless in their efforts to find him. They posted their cry for help on Facebook groups for Polish migrants. And it was heard!

Another Polish, Slawek recognized Piotr in a dirty and desperate man wandering the streets of Carlow. A day later he was placed under the wings of Barka, and the next he was returned to his family.

Slawek contacted the family of Piotr in Poland. He fed him, clothed him and had him stay overnight. The problem of returning to his homeland remained. That was when Piotr’s mother called the Dublin branch of Barka. Together they arranged the details of further assistance. Slawek accompanied Piotr on the trip to Dublin. As a matter of urgency, we arranged a visit to the consulate, made a temporary passport and bought tickets to Berlin, since there were no direct flights to Poland available.

It was obvious to us that Piotr could not take the flight alone, so he was assisted by a Barka employee. The trip was not an easy one, Piotr required constant care.

But he returned happily to his family. The next day he was taken to a psychiatric hospital.

Currently, Piotr is in psychiatric observation, which will last several weeks. There, he will receive much-needed mental support. We wish him good health and hope that he will soon be able to return to his loving wife and enjoy his children. We keep our fingers firmly crossed for him!