Camille Dubois-Chalifoux and Laurier Chabot are packing for a trip of a lifetime.
Clothing, supplies and even a Ukrainian translation book are just a few of the essentials they’re bringing on their journey.
The two therapists will fly to Warsaw on Wednesday and then make their way to the Polish-Ukrainian border.
They plan on providing support for refugees and soldiers.
“It really depends on the need,” said Dubois-Chalifoux. “As a physiotherapist, there’s a lot that I can do. We can work with the tensions, if there was something that happened during the trip as well — injuries, a sprain, stuff like that.”
The pair said they connected with the people of Ukraine when they visited in January for a tango event.
They say they made a lot of friends and so deciding to go back there now to help was something that came to them instinctively.
“I saw (my friends) running away from their homes, the destruction and stuff,” said Dubois-Chalifoux. “I cannot stand still here and not do anything.”
For his part, Laurier Chabot spent 17 years serving in the Canadian military.
He recently completed a masters in counselling psychology and so he hopes his skills and background can be of help.
“Just seeing how people are doing, chatting with them and noticing if they need any psychological counselling of any sort and asking them if they want to talk,” he said.
To help fund their trip, the pair have set up a GoFundMe campaign.
So far, they’ve raised just over $6,000, which they say will go towards supplies, translation and direct donations to Ukrainians.
They plan on staying two months but will extend their trip if they are needed.
The pair plan on posting about their journey on a Facebook page.