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The continuing war in Ukraine is causing extreme civilian harm, as millions of people have been forced to leave their homes and find shelter in neighbouring or further countries. Poland is one of the countries hosting the largest number of refugees from Ukraine. The IRC has worked in Poland since February 2022 to provide vital support to those affected by the conflict, so they can return home when it is safe, not because they have to.
What does IRC do in Poland?
The number of refugees remaining in Poland can be estimated at around 960 thousand. More than 40 percent of refugees from Ukraine in Poland are children and 65 percent are female. According to the latest protection profiling findings from Poland, 64 percent of the respondents plan to stay in Poland mainly due to safety reasons. To provide the best support to them, we work in different locations in Poland through diverse approaches: partner-led and joint IRC-partner interventions and activities led by the IRC in the frame of three programs:
• Emergency Cash and Livelihoods Support
IRC in Poland has supported over 53,000 most vulnerable people with cash assistance to ensure refugees can buy food, medicine, clothing and other essentials. With the Polish Centre for International Aid (PCMP), we have also supported Ukrainian refugees to find employment in Poland. We continue to do that by opening two livelihood centers in Poznań and Katowice where refugees can find language courses, legal assistance, job-matching activities, and other services to support them in finding stable employment. Moreover, the IRC has organized a number of job fairs and two social impact campaigns to support inclusion of Ukrainians into the Polish labour market.
• Protection
The IRC has opened the Community Centre "Vchasno" dedicated to women, girls, and children from Ukraine. It offers a range of services, including psychosocial support and recreational activities, focusing on emotional regulation, well-being, integrated development, teaching methods, social skills, and crafts.
Thanks to cooperation with our partner Migam, we are providing sign language translation in Ukrainian and in Polish Sign Language to support access to services for refugees living with disabling hearing loss.
We assist individuals with refugee backgrounds to navigate Polish public services (health, social, educational). With various partners, we provide refugees legal assistance and information (infolines, info points) to integrate into Polish communities, and emergency legal aid to unaccompanied minors and their guardians, as well as support for people with disabilities, the elderly and survivors of violence. With the IRC's support, our partners help women affected by the war in Ukraine to find safe haven and assistance in a center for GBV survivors in Warsaw.
• Education
In cooperation with Teach for Poland, the IRC integrates the existing teaching model with the IRC's healing classroom components to train 40 Polish teachers and 12 Ukrainian teachers on how to work with students with refugee backgrounds and those experiencing trauma.
In collaboration with the Teacher Training Centre in Poznań, the IRC is creating spaces that are both welcoming and soothing for students.
Together with the partner, Polish Migration Forum, IRC developed an open access online training platform for intercultural education assistance.
The IRC in partnership with Center for Citizenship Education (CCE) conducts activities that support inclusion of Ukrainian students in the life of the classroom and school, and enable all students to have a greater impact on what is happening in the school.
Together with Association of Ukrainians in Poland the IRC offers non-formal education activities for refugee youth 12-18 years.
The IRC partner Foundation for Freedom conducts 3 types of activities: Multicultural learning for school students and teachers in Primary Schools of Warsaw, community work in 2 centers for foreigners: Podkowa Leśna “Dębak” and Linin, and sport and physical activities for youth and adults from Humanitarian Aid Center.
Solidarity and strong international response to the crisis in Ukraine has set a precedent for how the world should respond to humanitarian crises globally. This response must be sustained. People fleeing Ukraine need our continuous support.
Alan Moseley, Country Director in IRC in Poland
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