Rebuilding the resilience of social capital in Ukraine

This project, which brings hope to communities in Ukraine, focuses on rebuilding not only the destroyed infrastructure but also on strengthening human resilience in the face of the long-term effects of conflict. Our project is a comprehensive approach that combines the latest research-based psychological care with rebuilding physical resources, creating solid foundations for the long-term development of communities that have experienced prolonged war trauma.

From support center to the mobile clinic ArtBus

At the core of the project is the understanding that rebuilding is not just about bricks and mortar, but above all, about people. Therefore, the actions include both the reconstruction of educational facilities and intensive psychological support for communities. That’s why the project includes the construction of new support centers, such as the modern Support Center in Kharkiv. At the same time, school basements in Ivano-Frankivsk are being converted into safe, multifunctional shelters, providing young people with a place to study during missile attacks. To reach as many people in need as possible, we are launching the mobile clinic ArtBus, which brings help to children and youth in the front-line areas of the Kharkiv region.

New foundations

The project emphasizes the exchange of experiences and the improvement of skills. Through training and study visits to Poland, Ukrainian specialists gain knowledge and tools to effectively support individuals affected by war trauma. The transfer of Polish know-how in PTSD therapy and complex trauma becomes the foundation upon which Ukraine is building a modern psychosocial support system.

This project is not only a response to current challenges but also an investment in the future. Through integrated activities, communities in Ukraine are gaining new opportunities for development, learning to cope with traumas, and building stronger social bonds. It is a project that not only heals the wounds of the past but also shapes the future – a future full of hope, resilience, and sustainable development.

DONATOR

The project co-financed from the state budget under the Polish development cooperation program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland

For many migrants, mainly women and young people, it has become clear that they will not be able to return to their homes in Ukraine for a long time to come, and that the time of ‘limbo’ needs to be turned into concrete decisions and steps they need to take in order to live a normal life.

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022, there has been a daily influx of people seeking opportunities for a better, more secure life for themselves and their loved ones. Currently, there are about one million such people registered in our country, mostly women, children and young people.

After the phase of providing immediate assistance to war refugees, the phase of their long-term integration into Polish society begins. This is the focus of the project entitled. “Holistic support for Ukrainian refugees in Poland”, which the HumanDoc Foundation is implementing together with the POP FUND Fund of Polish NGOs.

The main objectives of the project:

– Improving the quality of life of refugees outside major metropolises and in rural areas, including support for the voluntary relocation of refugees from metropolises, with high living costs, to smaller towns where the cost of living is lower. Provision of legal and professional information and psychological support.

– Support for the voluntary removal of refugees from collective accommodation centres and vocational activation to enable beneficiaries, including mothers with young children, to regain a sense of agency and independence.

– Inclusion and continuation of refugee children in Polish schools through teaching them the Polish language and remedial and integration classes.

– Material support for children in care centres (so-called children’s homes), which lack funds not only for educators, but also for basic daily necessities such as books, clothes, shoes and medicines.

– Supporting refugees from other groups particularly vulnerable to exclusion, including ethnic and sexual minorities.

Project funded by Google.org through the POP Fund.

According to 2023 UNHCR data, women and children make up 87% of the Ukrainian refugee community in Poland. Young mothers cannot find employment and are in a dire economic and psychological situation.

Since the outbreak of war in 2022, HumanDoc has been providing comprehensive support to Ukrainian refugee women. From our observations, it seems that the most difficult stage of adaptation is just beginning for them. It is only now dawning on many of these women that they will not be able to return to their homes for a long time to come, and perhaps, this will never happen again. So they start looking for employment, but it is not easy. Especially as they often have to look after children they have no one to leave them with.

Our social workers, who visit collective accommodation centres for refugees, observe that due to the poor economic situation, it is sometimes the case that some women completely break down and fall into alcoholism and others give themselves over to prostitution in order to support themselves and their families.

Therefore, the HumanDoc Foundation, together with Zene za Zene International through Women for Women International Crisis response Fund for Ukraine continue to cooperate and implement their next project: ‘Holistic support for Ukrainian refugee women in Poland with a focus on vocational training and economic empowerment’. The main aim of the project is to equip women with the knowledge and necessary skills through vocational training, and thus – to increase their chances of finding a job and to regain control over their lives.

How do we do this?

– we organise group vocational courses, for example: hairdressing, manicure, computer literacy etc.

– we assist with finding and financing participation in vocational courses available on the market for beneficiaries with individualized needs, for example nurse course, IT, masseur florist, etc.

– we prepare information meetings during which you can get to know the specifics of the Polish labour market and learn about employment and income-generating opportunities

– we help you prepare your CV, analyse your employment contract and advise you on how to start your own business.

– we offer group therapy sessions and individual consultations with a psychologist to help beneficiaries regain psychological well-being, self-confidence, and to improve their skill psycho-emotional, as well as communicational and social skills.

PASSAGE: a project for young people aged 14-18

Being a teenager is difficult under normal circumstances. Growing up in wartime is an extremely difficult experience.

According to a report prepared by the Centre for Civic Education at the beginning of 2023, only 24% of Ukrainian refugee youth (aged 15-18) attend Polish schools. The remainder study in the Ukrainian online education system. However, there is no accurate data on how many of them actually attend any school.

The HumanDoc Foundation and CARE International in Poland implemented a project to support the return of young Ukrainians to study in Poland or online in the Ukrainian system. Education is, after all, not only an opportunity to acquire knowledge but a sense of normality, security, and belonging.

The aims of the project CARE Edu:

Club “PASSAGE”

Our flagship activity is the opening of a youth daycare center in Opole. It is a space where teenagers can both learn and socialize.

Special learning stations and teaching aids can be used here to facilitate homework or remote learning. Language courses and tutoring are also organized in the club.

In the informal part of the common room, young people can relax, play board games, take part in art therapy activities, or simply meet each other and talk.

EDUCATION

– Polish language courses for children and young people with a focus on key school vocabulary, covering topics such as mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics.

– Tutoring for young people and after-school meetings where they can do their homework together or prepare for the next day’s classes

– Counselling for young people on their educational path and choice of future profession.

EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT

– Counselling and support by counselors and psychologists (1-on-1 therapies) for young people and their parents or guardians regarding adaptation and integration stress, problems with peers, etc.

– Stress-reducing activities, including self-therapy groups: singing, dancing, drawing/painting, film, theatre, or blog writing workshops

– Support groups for young people, run by psychologists, therapists, and educationalists

– Counselling and other support for children with special learning difficulties attending Polish schools (ADHD, Asperger’s spectrum, speech difficulties, concentration difficulties, including classes with a speech therapist, psychosensory classes, etc.).

INTEGRATION

– Educational and integration activities for Ukrainian and Polish youth, including field games, participation in cultural events, sports events, etc.

SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN COLLECTIVE ACCOMMODATION CENTRES

Numerous collective centers for refugees are not supported, visited, or even monitored by any organizations or local governments. HumanDoc is usually the only service that provides support to refugee teenagers staying in these places.

Meanwhile, this is where self-harm, addiction, depression, and the risk of sexual abuse and violence among adolescents are on the rise.

Our mobile teams get there to be able to deliver all the objectives of the CARE EDU program.

Reaching new places with aid

Our mobile teams support staff and residents of refugee centers located far from large urban areas.

The project  “Mobile support for refugees from Ukraine in northern and south-western Poland”, which we are implementing in cooperation with CARE International in Poland, aims to reach with comprehensive assistance those places of collective accommodation for refugees that are located far from large agglomerations. Both their residents and employees face many difficult challenges on a daily basis and are often on their own in the face of piled-up problems. Managers of the refugee accommodation facilities have no systemic support in managing them. Such facilities house from a few to several hundred people, often traumatized and without the means to improve their lives.

The future of refugee support centers is difficult to predict. It is unclear how long they will operate and how many people they will be able to provide shelter for. This makes it all the more necessary to diagnose the situation of the people in them. This will help to better plan the next steps to help residents find their way in a new situation and adjust to changing circumstances.

The purpose of our teams of specialists who visit the above places regularly is:

– providing beneficiaries with information on their rights and obligations, detailed regulations related to refugee status and situation;

– providing guidance on how to function in the Polish health care, social security, legal system, or employment so that beneficiaries become more self-reliant;

– imparting knowledge related to protection and GBV, which will enable beneficiaries to safeguard themselves and their children against potential incidents of violence and to approach the appropriate institutions;

– improving the overall situation, well-being, and mental condition of Ukrainian refugees,

– Activating vulnerable groups and developing a sense of empowerment among refugees;

– organizing support groups for different age groups and individual psychological consultations;

– Interacting with and supporting center staff in solving current problems and conflicts, in proper crisis response, and in caring for refugees.

The lack of state subsidies for collective accommodation centers for refugees leaves many people, usually the least self-reliant, at risk of homelessness.

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, many people who arrived in Poland have become independent. However, there is still a large group of people who, for various reasons, find it difficult to find employment and are unable to pay rent in collective accommodation centers, which are no longer subsidized by the state.

Single mothers with young children, the elderly, and the disabled face the specter of returning to Ukraine, even though the homes they left there are mostly destroyed and the situation across our eastern border is still far from normal.

Working with our partners: the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Norwegian Embassy in Warsaw, we provide accommodation and extensive protection to groups most at risk of homelessness.

How do we do this?

– We run two houses (in Opole and Warsaw), where we implement an original adaptation program for refugees. These are intimate places where each family has its own independent place and, at the same time, can integrate with the other residents in shared rooms.  Special caseworkers are assigned to each home. They monitor the needs of the beneficiaries on an ongoing basis.

– Our mobile teams also visit collective accommodation centers located away from large conurbations. We provide psychological and social support to the residents there.

– Constant amendments to laws and regulations concerning Ukrainian citizens do not make life easier for refugees. In addition, they often lack access to the internet and basic information. We provide free legal advice (e.g. on legalization of residence or labor law) both at our Legal Centre in Warsaw and during individual online consultations or via social media.

In the project, we pay special attention to people at risk of exclusion and acts of violence. By creating decent living conditions for them and providing access to information and education, we hope that they will also soon become independent and integrated into their local communities.

Project implemented thanks to financial support: