Two Quebec tango partners fly to Warsaw to provide physical and mental care to Ukrainian refugees transiting through Poland.
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“With my military background and my job as a mental health counsellor, I have all the tools to help people who need it. That’s what I have to do,” says Laurier Chabot straight away.
With his friend Camille Dubois-Chalifoux, he has just left Montreal for Poland, for a two-month stay.
“Laurier has often gone to high-risk areas. I wanted him to go with me, I couldn’t see myself alone in this area, ”she said.
During their discussion with The newspaper a few hours before departure, the partners were feverish.
“I’m excited to get out there and experience the energy. Dealing with the unknown stimulates me a lot, but it also calms me,” says the physiotherapist.
“Each time I’ve been in slightly more difficult areas, it’s always before the start that is stressful. When you arrive, when you can touch the ground, smell the air, see people’s eyes, there is a kind of peace that sets in, “says Mr. Chabot, who was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces for 17 years. .
Sense of belonging
The two had traveled to Lviv, in western Ukraine, last January for a tango competition.
“The people I met there were amazing. We quickly formed very strong ties, because with dance we are very close and we share everything. We have this feeling of wanting to give back to the community,” says Ms.me Dubois Chalifoux.
They are still in contact with some of them, including a friend who was able to flee the country and take refuge in Estonia.
“She knows the route and the people at the main points that the refugees use,” says Ms.me Dubois Chalifoux.
Early days
Once in Warsaw, they plan to rent a car and go to a few border towns to quantify the needs and make sure they settle in the right place, surrounded by the right people.
“We don’t want to have a plan that’s too clear, because if we get there and the needs aren’t there, we’ll change it,” says the native of the Eastern Townships.
Before leaving, the two friends studied notions specific to the humanitarian context, including the care provided as a first responder.
“As a physiotherapist, I can do first-line care, like stabilizing fractures or stopping bleeding,” she lists, while pointing to her medical equipment.
Laurier Chabot, who has a master’s degree in psychology, deepened his notions about trauma, by talking with specialists.
“My physio therapies will mainly focus on post-traumatic and psychosomatic injuries, related to stress. Combined therapies with mental health could be practical, ”says his partner.