Summary
Refugee assistance is moving from the emergency phase to the adaptation and integration phase.
The main objective is to help the 1,000 Ukrainian refugees to gradually adapt and integrate into Polish society. By the end of the project, specific results are expected: the refugees have settled into a regular flat, are engaged in part-time or full-time jobs or self-entrepreneurship, and the children (2-6 years old) are attending kindergarten and primary education from 7 years upwards.
Since March 2022, CADIS, with the cooperation of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation (BTCCF) and the Camillians in Poland, mobilised the emergency response in Poland when the Russian-Ukrainian crisis broke out on 24 February 2022.
The context
It is estimated that between 1.5 and 2 million Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion reside in Poland, of whom around 1.2 million have registered for protection. About 90% of the Ukrainian refugees are women and children. In the first days after the outbreak of the war, assistance to the refugees in Poland was mainly provided by Polish families and households, by owners of boarding houses and hotels, and by religious communities who made themselves available to provide accommodation.
In Lomianki, the Camillians turned the seminary house into a temporary shelter for refugees. The building can accommodate up to 70 refugees. A total of 39 refugees are currently housed.
In Ursus, the Camillians incorporated their programme, the care and sheltering of 20 Ukrainian refugees, into their social assistance programme for the homeless - the St. Lazarus Pension Home for the Homeless.
Since the opening of the two temporary shelters in Ursus and Lomianki, some 238 refugees have been assisted in our temporary accommodation. Currently, 59 refugees remain in our centres - 20 in Ursus and 39 in Lomianki.
Many of the guests in the centres intend to move and seek better opportunities in Poland or elsewhere in Europe. A significant number of them have specific skills, professional backgrounds and interests; some of them have been given part-time work in our centre. However, most of them will face great challenges in finding a job and a stable settlement, as we are moving from the emergency response phase to the adaptation and integration phase.
Description of the project objective and main activities
The main objective of this project is to help Ukrainian refugees gradually adapt and integrate into Polish society. The main donor for this phase is the Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation.
Expected results (objectives)
The project foresees three specific outcomes. At the end of the project, Ukrainian refugees entrusted to the Camillians
(a) are settled in a regular flat or house
b) are engaged in part-time or full-time work or self-employment
c) the children (2-6 years old) attend kindergarten and primary education for 7 years and beyond.
Expected results
The expected results of this project are as follows
(a) refugees have access to a fairly decent flat or house
b) refugees received psychosocial, mental and health support
c) refugees received minimum support for food and non-food items
d) the refugees learnt the Polish language and culture
e) refugees received job orientation seminars, workshops and legal assistance
(f) refugees' skills were enhanced and utilised for alternative self-reliant livelihood activities
g) refugees were integrated into Poland's welfare system for social protection
h) refugee children were enrolled in kindergarten and primary schools
i) refugee children received physical, medical and mental health care.
Input (detailed activities)
(1) To provide long-term temporary shelter for up to one year for 100 refugees (women and children or families) in Łomianki and Ursus.
(women and children or families) in Łomianki and Ursus.
The provision consists of the construction of facilities and services such as:
(a) two temporary shelters and six flats
(b) food and non-food supplies for three months
(c) utilities such as electricity, gas, heating, computers and internet
(d) practical and social assistance
(e) security and support staff, such as residence coordinator, social worker, psychosocial support facilitator, food and general maintenance services.
(2) Facilitating refugees' access to the labour market to obtain part-time or full-time jobs and coworking space for qualified refugees interested in self-employment or alternative livelihood activities.
To gain access to the labour market for economic sustainability and to build a future in a foreign land, the project offers the following services
(a) Job placement orientation seminars and facilitation/assistance in submitting job applications.
b) Intensive Polish language lessons and assistance with socio-cultural adaptation for 96 hours (4 hours a week for 3 months).
c) A renovated and refurbished building for the coworking programme for qualified refugees and livelihood activities.
d) Coworking space for qualified refugees for assistance and micro-business support activities such as hairdressing, cosmetology, catering, tailoring, etc.)
e) Training and assistance on micro-enterprise management
f) Assistance and support services (technical, practical, legal) for new arrivals and other refugees living outside the Lomianki and Ursus reception centres (target: 1000 refugees)
g) Basic medical and mental health support services for adults and children.
(3) Refugee children received nursery (2-6 years) and primary (7 years and above) education in Lomianki and Ursus for 50 students.
In Lomianki, the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic religious congregation of nuns, have been running a kindergarten in Łomianki since 1945. When refugees entered Poland, the school started a special programme for Ukrainian children - war refugees. The children were provided with full day care (8 hours), educational lessons and food. The sisters expressed their continuing desire to cooperate with us.
In Ursus, the children will be sent to public or public schools with financial assistance from the project for the full annual programme. Otherwise, if necessary, depending on available space, they can be sent to Lomianki. Working mothers can thus devote themselves to work and daily chores without worrying too much about their children.
With the programmes described above, the urgent needs of Ukrainian refugees in terms of education, accommodation and livelihood can be met. In this way, Ukrainian refugees in Poland will gain autonomy and stability.
