LUBLIN, Poland–In some single rooms, there are three families sharing limited space and bunk beds. In the hallways, clothes hang on racks to dry. There is a shared bathroom on each floor. And everyone who lives there is thankful to have it.
During CUToday.info’s week-long visit with credit unions in Poland as part of a trip organized by the Via Stella Foundation, a tour was given of what is known as Refugee House, an apartment building that is home to more than 100 Ukrainian refugee women and children (men are not allowed to leave Ukraine and are expected to assist in the war effort, unless there are extenuating circumstances).
Among those that have been providing assistance to Refugee House almost from the time the war with Russia began is a local credit union, Skok Chmielewskiego, which on the day CUToday.info visited supplied bags of school supplies and games for the children.
Building Donated to Foundation
The building that is Refugee House was formerly a dental clinic and was donated to a Warsaw-based foundation that, in turn, is allowing people to live rent-free and also helping to ensure food is available. There are five such Refugee Houses owned by the foundation in the country; the one in Lublin is the smallest with 110 people currently in residence and room for up to 130.
There is no time limit on stays, although some people have left to go to their own apartments in Poland and at least one family went to Canada.
The children at Refugee House range in age from under one year to 18.
Rules of the House
According to the director of the House, in order to live there refugees must sign a contract that requires:
- No alcohol or drug use
- Everyone is responsible for cleaning their rooms and the public spaces
- Everyone must cook their own food
The organization has begun to offer job training and Polish language lessons.
“The advantage for the Ukrainian women is they can help each other, like when a child is sick,” said the director.
Most Kids Doing Well, But Not All
Approximately 90% of the school-age children who live at Refugee House are enrolled in Polish schools.
“All of the children who are going to Polish school have adjusted well,” the director said. “Some go to special classes for Ukrainian children to help them adjust.”
But not all the children are prospering, according to the director, who said the children whose parents have instead chosen to enroll them in online Ukrainian school are struggling.
“Now, there is an enormous gap,” she said of those children. “These children have no contact. They are afraid to go outside and to interact. They have not integrated at all over the last 18 months. By Polish law, kids must go to school, but it is up to the parents to decide which school. No one can force them.”
There is one other factor complicating integration that is often overlooked, and that is that many of the Ukrainian refugees from the eastern part of the country speak Russian.
The One Wish
For now, she said most everyone is doing well. When asked if there is one thing she would still like, the director returned to the children, saying she is most grateful for all the aid that has been provided, but she wishes she could get the kids to a camp for perhaps two weeks, saying it would be a “big relief” for the kids and would also give their parents a break.
“The most urgent need is a change of environment,” she said.
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