Poland donated €8.6 billion to help Ukrainian refugees during the first year of the Russian invasion. From the start of the war to mid-2023, over 24 million asylum seekers crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border. Of the 1.4 million Ukrainians who remain in our country, 90% are women and children. These data can be found in the Report on the Help of Polish NGOs to Ukraine.

The document was prepared by the Confederation of Non-Governmental Initiatives of the Republic of Poland. The authors summarized the participation of Polish NGOs in supporting Ukraine since the start of the Russian aggression. The report was presented last week at a conference in Kyiv.

It shows that in the first months of the war, nearly 29,000 social organizations of various types operating in Poland participated in the aid to Ukraine. The participation was broad and in no way limited to charitable organizations. Over half of the volunteer fire brigades and almost 40% of rural women’s associations helped Ukraine at the time. The value of the support provided during the first months of the war is estimated at over PLN 650 million.

At first, aid was primarily directed at refugees arriving in Poland, with material donation campaigns being the most popular forms of assistance. Over time, more and more organizations became involved in activities in Ukraine, while the state took over the provision of assistance to refugees in Poland. For example, Ukrainian citizens were assigned personal identification numbers, allowed to work without a permit, and received social benefits. Children were guaranteed education in Polish schools.

The assistance took on a variety of forms, from material support to psychological and legal assistance. NGOs helped refugees find accommodation and childcare, and navigate the Polish labor market. Volunteers provided them with professional qualification certificates and enrolled them in Polish language courses. Activities such as these have helped over a million Ukrainians find work in Poland today.

At times, the support took on more original forms. The volleyball club Projekt Warszawa played a charity match for refugees and organized a volleyball academy for Ukrainian children. The In Blessed Art Foundation sold icons in ammunition boxes imported from Ukraine.