Help at the border with Belarus.Caritas Polska initiatives - News - Polskieradio24.pl

According to the resolution of the UN General Assembly, December 18 is the International Day of Migrants. The holiday was established to draw attention to the need to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people living outside their country of origin.

Due to the tense situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, Caritas Polska focuses on material assistance to migrants staying in centers run by the Border Guard and in centers of the Office for Foreigners. Maciej Dubicki from Caritas Polska assured that the help will be continued in the coming months.

- Caritas Polska is constantly helping as part of the "Tents of Hope" campaign. Currently, it can be obtained in Białowieża, where the local community is trying to monitor the needs and provide assistance in case of requests - said Maciej Dubicki.

Help for refugees who decide to stay in Poland

He pointed out that it will be a big challenge to provide assistance to those refugees who, after successfully passing all the procedures in force in the country, decide to stay in Poland. - Our goal will be to support them in becoming independent as soon as possible, so that Poland becomes their second home. For this, it is necessary, among others, knowledge of the Polish language, finding a place to live and work - explained Maciej Dubicki.

He said that since 2018, nearly 15,000 people have received support in the form of co-financing language courses, courses facilitating entry to the labor market or renting an apartment. people who benefited from assistance at the Migrant and Refugee Assistance Centers in Warsaw and Szczecin.

- The value of this aid is approx. PLN 9 million. These funds were used to subsidize the rent of an apartment, psychological support and training for adapting to the labor market, he declared.

He pointed out that so far most foreigners have been people from the Russian Federation and the countries of the former Soviet Union, i.e. Chechens, Kazakhs, but also Belarusians and Ukrainians. Since August, they are also Afghans.

- Some of them will want to stay in Poland, so our task will be to help them, he pointed out.

"Tent of Hope"

Maciej Dubicki from Caritas Polska reminded that there is still a "Tent of Hope" in Białowieża, which is a base for providing help.

- There are the most necessary things that can be used to support those in need, e.g. clothing, food or blankets, he said.

He added that the tent is visited by parishioners who have contact with migrants, as well as various activists looking for people in need.

"We do not focus only on foreigners, refugees or migrants, but also on the local population"

Maciej Dubicki pointed out that Caritas wants to bring together people who want to support others, no matter who they are.

- Therefore, we do not focus only on foreigners, refugees or migrants, but also on the local population. We are therefore prepared to provide several dozen parcels for the poor who are members of local parishes. The established teams that want to help have also identified people living in border areas on the Polish side of the border who need support. In their area, parish Caritas teams know the residents best, he explained.

He mentioned that the local community is also praying for the uniformed services so that the situation at the border calms down as soon as possible.

- You have to be aware that the local population is deeply affected by what is happening on the border. Many people also need psychological support - pointed out Maciej Dubicki from Caritas Polska.

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