HELP for war refugees from Ukraine in Poland

One Year, One horrible year!

From the very beginning of the conflict the Zywiec Development Foundation reorientated its activities to support Ukrainian refugees that were flooding into our region of Poland, and also to support wider programmes across Poland, Europe and now even as far away as the USA.

It has been a year where it has tested our Foundation resources to the limit. We have in this period of one year increased our administrative and project staff to over 30 people and all in all we now provide the wages for just under 200 hundred care staff, those in vocational training, teachers for the Ukrainian kids, those involved in the  Support Centre for Refugees ( Legal support, housing support, one to one therapy). We provide food aid and other materials here in Poland and also to Ukraine. We are training Ukrainains in new professions and have community social integration actions. We have therapy support groups. these include "Wool for Ukraine" which operates GLOBALLY! with support groups in Poland, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland and the USA and  "Rock for Ukraine" which has provided music events for over 4000 children in Poland since it started in the refugee shelters in Warsaw in March 2022.  We have more than a hundred at any time on Polish language courses every day of the week.

Many of our core community activities still continue, not least the rennovation and repurposing of our buildings of the Foundation. This is an enormous task which we are trying to continue in this crisis. Its not easy as all available space (including those spaces detailed for rennovation) is in use at this time. We are even leasing extra office and workshop space to cope fr the short term. Our rennovation funds have taken a hit and we need funding to provide fit for purpose spaces for our normal and refugee activities.  

So one horrible year. We have now responsibility in our local region for the social welfare of over 2000 refugees. Our programmes extend to many many more and  every day we welcome new additions to our family here in Poland as the War continues. 

These combined efforts have a significant financial cost. These are activities we can not shy away from. They are basic every day neccessary actions and we have a constant need for funding. GlobalGiving has been great and an important contributor, but we need this continue and probably at an even greater level in the future.

Our love and gratitude goes out to all of you that support our efforts.