Ocalenie Foundation

Overview of the Organization

Ocalenie Foundation is dedicated to building a multicultural, open society with human rights as its foundation. For 23 years, we have been supporting migrants and refugees in Poland, helping them establish new lives and become independent. Our work focuses on providing comprehensive support to ensure the well-being and integration of those we assist. Foundation’s portfolio of programs and services is quite comprehensive, all of the services we provide remain free of charge.

The Aims of the Ocalenie Foundation

Our aims include:

• Providing assistance, integration, and activation services for foreigners, Poles, and people of Polish origin residing in or planning to come to Poland.

  • Fostering an open society by promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue, disseminating knowledge about different countries and cultures, and combating prejudice and discrimination.

  • Promoting and supporting voluntary work and other forms of social engagement.

  • Supporting the development of social integration systems in Poland, particularly for refugees and immigrants.

Target Groups

The Foundation directs its activities to all people at risk of social marginalization, including:

• Refugees, individuals under international protection, asylum seekers, and those resettled or relocated to Poland.

Immigrants.

• Poles returning from emigration.

• Victims of disasters, armed conflicts, and wars, including those suffering from trauma and torture.

• Groups particularly vulnerable to discrimination, such as children, women, seniors, people with disabilities, those with health problems, economically disadvantaged individuals, or people in crisis.

• Local communities and leaders.

• Public, non-governmental, and private institutions, organizations, businesses, informal groups, and the general public..

Key Services and Statistics

Our key-project project is Help Centre for Foreigners and it is conducted in three Polish cities (Warsaw, Łódź and Łomża). Our clients are provided with versatile consultations (starting from the basic ones such as contacts with offices, schools, employers and health service etc and ending up on quite complicated issues, such as f.ex. legal counseling).

Intercultural Mentors

Intercultural mentors, with personal migration experiences in Poland, assist clients in their native languages. They identify clients' main needs, offer support in daily matters, and refer them to specialized consultations.

Number of mentoring consultations in 2023:

Warsaw: 7,724

Łomża: 3,331

Łódź: 1,358

Legal Support

The cases our legal team mainly mainly deals with are related to:

the procedure for granting international protection in Poland,

temporary and permanent residence,

citizenship,

work permits,

family reunification.

Our legal team operates in Warsaw, Lodz and Lomza as part of the Help Center for Foreigners. Our lawyers work in Polish, Russian and English.

Number of legal consultations in 2023:

Warsaw: 1,450

Łomża: 1,039

Łódź: 156

Psychological Support

The Foundation provides psychological and psychotherapeutic support for adults and children, including victims of trauma and torture. In 2023, the Help Center for Victims of Torture (CPOT) conducted 1,368 hours of consultations.

Number of psychological consultations in 2023:

Warsaw: 3,810

Łomża: 89

Łódź: 232

Vocational Support

Clients receive vocational guidance, assistance with job applications, and access to vocational courses.

Number of consultations by career counselors in 2023: Warsaw: 728, Łomża: 1,059 and Łódź: 130

With regards to career counseling, in 2023, our clients raised their professional competencies by participating in courses in IT, cosmetology, floristry, tailoring, computer graphics, accounting, and specialized authorizations (e.g. forklifts, welding). Additionally, people who fled Ukraine after February 24, 2022, took part in a project aimed at improving digital competencies. The project was carried out together with the Polish-Japanese Academy of Computer Technology. The courses covered knowledge of Excel, WordPress and Python.

The Internship program with IKEA

We have been running the second edition of the internship project in cooperation with IKEA Retail Sp. z o.o. in Warsaw, Łódź, Gdańsk and Kraków. The Ocalenie Foundation shared its knowledge and experience from the pilot with partner organizations who supported the implementation of the project in the respective cities. 46 people took part in the project 33 persons were employed at IKEA Retail Ltd. or another employer in Poland. During the project, people were provided with an intensive Polish language course that was calculated into working hours, mentoring, legal support, psychological support and help from the career advisors.

Material Support

The Foundation's "shop for points" provides in-kind assistance, allowing clients to choose items they need. In 2023, 4,709 people, including 2,008 children, received support. It is also worth mentioning that the Foundation sends parcels with cosmetics, underwear, socks, rucksacks and warm clothes to people in Detention Centers for Foreigners (SOC). At the request of inmates, notebooks, crayons, pens, books, puzzles and toys for children were also provided. In 2023, we sent 901 such parcels to 934 people, including 30 women and 15 children.

Polish Language Courses

We have been carrying out Polish language lessons since 2018. In 2023 in Warsaw we announced four open calls for language courses. During four trimesters, people from 71 countries took part in the classes. Most participants were from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Afghanistan and Turkey. Apart from that, we announced two enrollments for Polish language courses in Łódź. The classes were held in two trimesters and 55 people from 14 countries took part, most of them from Ukraine and Belarus. Among others were also people from Jordan, Guinea, Brazil and Armenia. The classes were conducted by a team of 5 lectureres.

Humanitarian Aid and Border Interventions

Since August 2021, we have been carrying out humanitarian aid in response to the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border. Our team is constantly on the ground providing legal support, basic medical assistance, in-kind support (clothing, food and water, communication equipment) and psychological support. In 2023 at least 368 people (including at least 34 women and 15 children and minors) were provided assistance.

Integration and Housing Support

Welcome Home Program

This program supports families at risk of homelessness, offering help with finding rental accommodation and rent subsidies. In 2023, it supported 12 families (66 individuals).

Refugees Welcome Poland (RWP)

This program connects refugees with Polish families who offer spare rooms. In 2023, 18 refugees benefited from this program.

Support for Children and Youth "Knowledge to the Max"

The program supports refugee children, particularly those with learning difficulties and at risk of dropping out. For the 2023/2024 school year, 100 children are receiving support, including scholarships. Young people receive learning support and also participate in workshops, joint educational and cultural outings and camps. In 2023, 117 children participated in the program. 54 of them were primary school pupils. Each child participating in the program can apply for a scholarship for the duration of the school year. It covers the student's educational needs and school fees (parents' council fees, insurance, lunches, trips and textbooks). In 2023, 36 students received such scholarships.

Day Care Centers

In 2023, there were four day care centers in Warsaw. Three are located in the collective accommodation centers for refugees from Ukraine. One of the day care centers was run in a Local Community Centers (MAL). A total of 200 children were enrolled in the day care centers. They were supported by 10 care workers. Children in all day care centers receive support in their studies, work with their emotions, participate in numerous excursions and sports, dance, chess activities.

The day care center in Łomża is the first and longest-running day care center run by the Foundation. It is regularly attended by around 30 children, and there were 162 children during the whole year.

In 2023, we organized a summer camp trip for children and youth from Łomża and Warsaw. The summer camps were attended by children participating in the tutoring program, day care centers and support from the Help Centers for Foreigners in Warsaw and Łomża. There were 82 participants. During the trip they got to know Dolny Śląsk and Mazury

Supporting Schools with Multicultural Environments

The Foundation assists schools in integrating migrant children, providing educational tools and intercultural assistants. In 2023, it published an "Education package for parents and pupils with migration experience."

Organizational Structure

In 2023, the Foundation employed 154 people and collaborated with over a hundred volunteers. The Ocalenie Company, established in June 2023, offers commercial services to support the Foundation’s activities.

Communication

The Foundation communicates through its website, social media platforms, and multilingual publications. In 2023, over 15,000 people benefited from its support.

Inclusion and Diversity

The Foundation ensures equal access to its services for all foreign nationals and implements anti-discrimination training for its staff. Feedback mechanisms are in place to address any discriminatory behavior.

Conclusion

The Ocalenie Foundation remains committed to supporting migrants, refugees, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment through a wide range of programs and services.