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Six months have passed since Poland was seized by an uprising – there is a war, you need to help! Communicators all over the country resounded with the questions: “Will anyone find a stroller for a mother with a baby?”, “Who can take drugs to Lviv? My friend stayed there, the pharmacies are already empty »and the most important thing« How can I help? ». Poles offered their time, money and skills by contacting one of the thousands of points run by non-governmental organizations scattered all over the country.
- The war in Ukraine has been going on for over six months. Many refugees ended up in Poland
- Refugees need help, and this is given to them on a wide scale
- Ukrainians can count on psychological support, but not only that. A serious problem is exclusion and helplessness
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Refugees can count on broadly understood help
“At the beginning, we had a hundred volunteers here every day,” says the coordinator of the Qźnia Association in Kobyłka near Warsaw. When the Poles were getting ready for the guests’ arrival, Ukrainian women who had lived in Kobyłka for years gathered in a group and started working. Help began to flow into a small room, which was quickly adapted to the needs of a humanitarian point, piled up under the roof – to this day, the shelves show not only clothes, but also milk for children, toys and hygiene articles. And they patiently distributed packages between families, completed the list of the most needed products and looked after each person for whom leaving the country was too painful to deal with alone. Helping others let them keep their heads and not think that they had left a home in the country to which they were supposed to return. Polish-Ukrainian teams exchanged tasks from morning to night so as not to send anyone away with a ticket.
The city reacted immediately to the growing number of guests who showed up at the homes of its residents. Schools included students in classes, the community center opened new class groups. The rooms where children learned the Polish language throughout the summer holidays were renovated, and psychological assistance and legal support for arriving families were launched. All this so that the stay in Poland is not a waste of time. In one of the classes, there are notebooks on the shelf, in which children learn to write complicated Polish letters. A, seeming to run away from the page with great strides, perfectly practiced C, neat curls of the big K. Everything right under the ruler. As they work on the intricate calligraphy, their mothers learn how to say in Polish “I’d like to open an account” and ask “which bus goes to the center?”. The whole city lives with a new rhythm – taking children to the day-room every day, choosing the best group, learning more Polish words and making friends.
They fall out of the system. The job is to help them get back on their feet
– A big problem accompanying refugees is helplessness and exclusion. In the world, fleeing a war torn country often means dropping out of the system. If children can continue their education, and adults can take up work, it gives them great strength and the conviction that their fate is in their hands – says the representative of the Polish Medical Mission, Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart. – an extensive program of the Polish Medical Mission and Terre des Hommes, providing various integration activities for the local and refugee community.
– Over time, some of the volunteers found employment and now they can get back on their feet. They used to run their businesses before, now they use skills and teach children crafts or sports. Moms have formed groups and exchange care for a group of children so that each of them can work. The basic help that was needed in the first days of the war turned into a process of building a community in which everyone could find their place.
Data from the report of the Union of Polish Metropolises show that two-thirds of the inhabitants of the largest Polish cities became involved in helping refugees, and almost 150 people opened their homes. people.
Are you mentally burdened by the situation in Ukraine? You don’t have to deal with yourself. Seek the help of a specialist – make an appointment with a psychologist.