Poland
Poland
Eurostat data shows nearly one million Ukrainian refugees, mostely women and children, registered in Poland by 2023. The Polish Center for International Aid Foundation (PCPM) is heavily involved in supporting these refugees. Their activities include providing financial aid, rent subsidies, educational and childcare programs, language and vocational training for adults, and job placement assistance.
Ongoing projects
The project involves assisting citizens of Ukraine fleeing war under temporary protection (6,000 people). The project participation condition is to have a Pesel with UKR status and to reside in a collective accommodation center.
The project was selected for co-financing by the European Commission under the “Specific Action MS under pressure – Support for Ukraine” call for proposals. The EC has awarded PLN 84,149,255.34 for its implementation, which constitutes 90% of the budget of this undertaking.
The assistance will include co-financing relocation costs (six months of support). Refugees will also be able to count on the support of career counselors and take part in vocational and language courses. The aid also includes support for adaptation to the Polish education and healthcare systems. Project participants will learn, among other things, how to enroll a child in school, obtain a disability certificate, and register with a doctor.
The PCPM continues to assist the Polish education system (see more under ‘Education’). The Polish education system is facing a serious shortage of teachers. According to the Ministry of National Education, there were more than 25,000 vacancies in our schools in 2024. To solve this problem, CARE Poland, together with the Foundation Unbreakable Ukraina and the Polish Centre for International Aid (PCPM), with the support of the Mosakowski Family Foundation, is running the ‘U-teach’ project. Our previous project successfully helped more than a thousand education workers. This time, we want to help another 800 Ukrainian male and female teachers meet the requirements for employment in Polish schools. This initiative focuses on two main pathways. The first offers support for the nostrification and recognition of diplomas, and is implemented by the Unbreakable Ukraine Foundation (UUF). The second, run by the Polish Centre for International Aid (PCPM), helps with postgraduate and master’s studies to upgrade the qualifications of Ukrainian teaching staff. Both organizations also offer common components, such as Polish language courses and career counseling.
As part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, PCPM, together with the Poland Emergency Medical Team PCPM, operates a medical hub at the Jasionka airport near Rzeszow. Patients from Ukraine are transported there and then transferred for treatment to European countries.
Flood Relief
Equipment for flood damage removal, generators, pumps. The PCPM Foundation is providing post-flood assistance in Lower Silesia and Opolskie voivodeship. PCPM works closely with local fire brigades and municipalities to determine what and where to deliver. The fundraising campaign supported by Wirtualna Polska is ongoing at pcpm.org.pl/flood
Previous activities
A 24/7 Transit Center has been operating near Warsaw East Station since March 25, 2022. It was a unique place on a global scale and the only one in Europe created solely for the needs of refugees from Ukraine.
Around a thousand people used the Transit Center for Refugees every day. Ukrainians fleeing the war had the opportunity to rest there, eat hot meals, receive SIM cards, train, bus and plane tickets, and also receive support from volunteers in finding accommodation or basic medical assistance. Importantly, refugees could also register to receive financial assistance. In total, from March 25 to September 2022, the Transit Center received 35,000 people.
Since 2022, the PCPM Foundation has been supporting numerous educational initiatives in Poland. In 2023, a total of 34,700 children benefited from the assistance of Ukrainian-speaking teacher assistants.
“I am happy that my child is studying in a Ukrainian school a thousand kilometers from home! Many thanks to the Polish Center for International Aid! We need your help and we are very grateful that you are not indifferent to us!”
Ekaterina Zemlyanko, mother of the pupil studying at the PCPM Education Center
Since October 2022, the PCPM Education Center has been operating in Warsaw, where over 220 Ukrainian students are learning. The Foundation established the concept of the Center, oversees its management, and guarantees the quality of all internal procedures, including educational standards. All teachers working at the PCPM Education Center are employed by the PCPM Foundation under the “Cash for Work” program. The PCPM Education Center is the only school in Poland with a Ukrainian program where there is no tuition fee.
Until August 2023, the Center for Education and Creativity operated in Warsaw, providing short-term childcare (up to 3 hours per day), psychological support and Polish language learning, games and creative time with peers. The children were cared for by Ukrainian speakers. A total of 35,604 people took advantage of the opportunities offered by the Center. Over a hundred children – students of the Education Center, took part in the PCPM Foundation’s summer project in Warsaw.
The classes took place from 8:00a.m. to 6:00p.m., which allowed adults to continue working without having to look for childcare.
In Lublin, a joint action “Summer in the City” was organized for children and youth from Poland and Ukraine. Throughout the summer, the youngest residents of Lublin could participate in artistic, craft, music workshops, sports and recreational activities, go to theatrical performances or trips to amusement parks.
As part of the “Support for Refugee Education in Poland” project, 107 classrooms in 26 educational institutions were also renovated to prepare schools for the admission of a larger number of children from Ukraine. The selected institutions are mostly schools with specialized facilities, providing support for students with special educational needs.
Classrooms were renovated in Warsaw, Supraśl, Lublin, Siedlce, Bydgoszcz and Białystok.
Schools that were not selected for renovation were given laptops, projectors, furniture, games and software.
PCPM continued to provide significant assistance to the Polish education system. In cooperation with CARE, the Foundation helped more than 450 people with diploma nostrification and postgraduate studies. Thanks to PCPM, 360 people have found employment in the education sector and 386 people have received training in the Polish language. As a result, teachers feel more confident in their competences and qualifications. The language barrier is a big element of insecurity, which results in people who are competent in a subject not being able to teach in Polish. The courses make it possible to change this and over time teachers apply for a position in line with their qualifications.
The Education Centre, which is attended by 220 Ukrainian children, continues to operate. From September 2024, it is in a dual education system (Ukrainian and Polish). This will make it much easier for graduates to integrate as well as take up further education in both Poland and Ukraine.
“The program gave me the opportunity to do what I know and love. The feeling of security and safety was like a roof over my head and a strong arm. It was a great opportunity to adapt, learn the language, make friends, get to know the teaching profession and gain new knowledge. The program became a good springboard for many and a chance to find their way in a foreign country.”
Anna, employed through „Cash for Work” program
In 2023, PCPM continued to run its original “Cash for Work” program. In its concept, the short-term intervention in Poland provided long-term support to local governments, schools and kindergartens, and most importantly to refugees from Ukraine.
In 2023, the program made it possible to employ 1,359 people in 24 Polish cities, mainly in education. Through the “Cash for Work” program, seven- ty Ukrainian artists, constituting 9% of program participants, secured placements in Warsaw’s theaters, museums, libraries, and community centers. In 2023, PCPM employed 30 psychologists working in schools, psychological counseling centers, cultural centers – cultural centers. There was also a “Cash for Work” helpline offering psychological help.
From January to September 2023, PCPM conducted a language and vocational training project for refugees. The program was implemented with local employment offices in four cities: Warsaw, Toruń, Lublin and Świnoujście.
Over 1,100 refugees, primarily from Ukraine, actively participated in the program. Among them, 950 individuals successfully completed Polish language courses ranging from levels A1 to C1. Additionally, 188 participants engaged in online training at the C1 level as part of the “Cash for Work” initiative.
Though designed primarily for Ukrainian refugees, the project demonstrably offered its benefits to a broader population. Individuals from Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and Jordan, including those with political asylum status, were successfully integrated into the program in both Warsaw and Toruń.
The project also offered vocational training to 180 refugees, equipping them for careers as nursery attendants, cashiers, and employment in the hotel industry or catering. Furthermore, specialized courses were organized, including beautician training and obtaining a category B driver’s license.
In addition to the “Cash for Work” program, the PCPM Foundation conducted training on the Polish labor market in Lublin. These sessions covered both Polish language skills and subjects relevant to the primary school final exams.
The Polish Center for International Aid Foundation and CARE are jointly running a program to validate the diplomas of Ukrainian teachers who want to work in educational institutions in Poland. The Foundation helps with the collection and translation of documents and contact with universities.
The project was open to people who have the appropriate education and diplomas obtained from universities abroad, mainly in Ukraine, would like to work in Polish schools and kindergartens and on their own, it was difficult for them to obtain validation, as along the way, they encountered financial and administrative difficulties. The PCPM Foundation will help 350 refugees to validate their diplomas.
MEDEVAC HUB Jasionka operates at Rzeszow Airport, with doctors, paramedics, nurses, and logisticians from Poland Emergency Medical Team PCPM consistently assisting patients. The primary purpose of this transit center is to provide medical care for up to 48 hours to individuals evacuated from Ukraine for treatment at facilities across Europe.
Not all refugees in Poland can secure employment, nor can they all achieve financial independence. Especially older persons, in particular, face unique challenges. Approximately 73,000 – 7% of Ukrainian refugees are aged 60 or older. To address their needs, the PCPM Foundation continued to provide financial support in the form of aid payments and rent subsidies for those facing particularly difficult financial circumstances. Assistance was extended to individuals who recently arrived in Poland with limited resources, helping them get started.
The cash assistance program, implemented by the PCPM Foundation, was made possible through collaboration with international humanitarian organizations. Thanks to funding from HelpAge International, 543 older refugees from Ukraine received six months of financial assistance, amounting to PLN 1,000 per month. Similarly, in cooperation with the Norwegian Refugee Council, 380 people, primarily older and those with disabilities, received analogous support. Furthermore, 654 families (comprising 1,333 individuals) received assistance for 3 months, aiding them during the initial period of their stay in Poland.
In 2023, the PCPM additionally played a facilitating role in securing housing solutions for refugees by administering a rent and subsidy program. This support targeted individuals who had previously resided in collective accommodation centers and, due to financial constraints, struggled to find alter- native accommodations. Under this successful pilot initiative, the Foundation covered the full rent and security deposit for the first month, as well as half of the rent for the subsequent five months – 16 families were able to benefit from this crucial assistance.
