Ukraine
Ukraine
The Polish Center for International Foundation operated in Ukraine even before the escalation of the conflict. After February 24, 2022, it intensified its humanitarian efforts by participating in the reconstruction of devastated villages and supporting employment and education. Throughout 2023, the foundation delivered food parcels, medicines, and supplies to firefighters and welfare homes, including those in frontline towns.
Ongoing projects
Unfortunately, the beginning of 2026 in Ukraine has been very difficult. Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure of Ukrainian cities are causing long power outages. More than a million people struggle with blackouts lasting over 7 hours every day. The power outages affect not only homes, but also schools, hospitals, service centers, and social support facilities. The PCPM Foundation organized a fundraiser and quickly delivered power generators to the city of Bucha, near Kyiv.
In May 2026, PCPM launched a project aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s emergency services in the face of the ongoing armed conflict. The programme, funded by TaiwanICDF to the tune of one million dollars, focuses on specialist medical training and the provision of additional equipment for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) and the ambulance service. Key activities include the provision of modern simulators, triage kits and the modernisation of training centres in Lviv and Vinnytsia. The project will be implemented by the Polish Centre for International Aid (PCPM), which will draw on its expertise in emergency response and logistics.
The Polish Centre for International Aid Foundation plans to train a total of at least 310 people
This figure comprises the following groups:
- 290 staff members of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine:
- At least 240 people from 10 different regions will undergo training in Vinnytsia
- At least 50 people will take part in training sessions held in Lviv
- Of these 290 trained individuals, 30 firefighters and paramedics will be selected to participate in advanced courses, so that they can subsequently pass on the knowledge they have gained within their units
- 20 emergency medical service staff:
- The training will cover staff from the Regional Centres for Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Medicine in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk.
- At least two training sessions are planned, each with 10 participants.
The training will focus on pre-hospital medical care procedures, mass casualty management and the use of modern rescue equipment.
Previous activities
In 2024, the Polish Center for International Aid received funding under the Polish Aid program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. Throughout 2025, the Foundation implemented the second stage of this project, supporting residents of the Kherson, Kharkiv, and Poltava regions in Ukraine. The goal was to improve access to healthcare and the quality of medical services.
The activities included renovating and adapting medical facilities to the needs of people with disabilities, purchasing modern medical equipment, and training staff.
Fifteen medical facilities were renovated – three hospital wards and twelve clinics. Architectural barriers were removed, ramps, threshold-free doors, and markings for blind and visually impaired people were installed. As a result, over 160,000 people, mainly from rural and frontline areas, gained better access to treatment.
The facilities received the necessary equipment, including ECG machines, ultrasound devices, basic diagnostic tools, and laboratory equipment. They were also equipped with medical furniture and computer equipment.
Medical staff underwent training in life-saving techniques, hemorrhage control, emergency care, and ultrasound equipment operation. Additional courses covered responding to post-traumatic stress in patients and preventing infections in medical facilities.
The PCPM Foundation project is co-financed as part of the Polish development cooperation program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
Project is co-financed within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
Beginning in February 2022. The PCPM Foundation assisted in the evacuation of residents of Kharkiv and the surrounding area to a prepared center in Svitlovodsk. Specialists from PCPM’s Emergency Medical Team evacuated Ukrainian patients: children from oncology wards, people in need of specialized treatment, the elderly and those alone. Since the escalation, the foundation has been organizing humanitarian transports, equipment and ambulances for hospitals. As early as March 2022, the Foundation opened a 24-hour unique Transit Center at East Warsaw Station, created specifically for those fleeing the war from Ukraine.
The Foundation’s staff and volunteers worked right on the front line, delivering aid to the most devastated places in Kherson region and Kherson itself. They donated firefighting equipment. After the dam on the Dnieper River blew up in Novaya Kakhovka, aid also reached flood victims.
The PCPM helped those who lacked the means to live. It paid handouts, provided rent subsidies. It organized safe places and fuel for the winter.
In 11 different municipalities in Ukraine, the foundation launched “Cash for Work” intervention employment programs. In mid-2023, reconstruction and renovation of destroyed homes began. PCPM supported the restoration of public services in Ukrainian cities. Thanks to vehicles provided by the foundation, public transportation was restored in Trotsinets, and humanitarian aid was able to reach those most in need. In Truskavets, the foundation equipped shelters in schools so that children could learn together again.
The PCPM Foundation, with the support of the Taiwanese community, is making a significant contribution to the reconstruction of Trostianets. In November, 5 buses, a dust truck, a sewage tanker, and ambulances were donated, which will reactivate many public services. Also, in collaboration with the Taiwanese government, PCPM is rebuilding and renovating houses in the village of Tsirkuny near Kharkiv, which is primarily inhabited by the elderly and people with disabilities
The Foundation extended support to refugees from Ukraine, assisting them in rebuilding their lives in Poland. This assistance was especially crucial for vulnerable groups, including the elderly, lonely individuals, and people with disabilities. PCPM disbursed aid payments and financed rent subsidies.
Additionally, PCPM implemented a program to employ refugee teachers from Ukraine (known as “Cash for Work”). The program also facilitated the hiring of translators, babysitters, and entertainers for children. Refugees also found employment in Warsaw’s cultural centers, made possible through collaboration with the City of Warsaw and the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
The Foundation played a vital role in the adaptation and education of Ukrainian children. Donations of classroom supplies, laptops, projectors, and furniture supported their learning. Furthermore, an Education and Creativity Center was established in the capital, providing a space for mothers and children to engage in activities while receiving assistance. During vacations, the Foundation organized half-day camps in ten Polish cities.
In Warsaw, a PCPM Education Center with a Ukrainian curriculum and language was inaugurated, catering specifically to Ukrainian students.
After the initial months of the war, it became evident that evacuation, particularly of hospital patients, needed improvement. Ukraine was integrated into the European Civil Protection Mechanism. In September 2022, driven by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and with collaboration from the Polish Ministry of Health, the PCPM established the MEDEVAC HUB Jasionka. This hub facilitated the transportation of Ukrainian patients to various European countries for medical treatment and was located near the Rzeszow airport.
The PCPM Foundation stood as the sole Polish organization providing aid to Ukrainian male and female refugees at the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian borders.
Read a comprehensive report detailing our two years of work and assistance to the people in Ukraine.
