Caritas Polska made the appraisal in a statement shared with state news agency PAP on Friday.
The charity said: “In the face of the crisis, Caritas Polska not only offered help to Ukrainian people looking for shelter, but also expanded its existing projects in Poland and abroad.”
EUR 43 mln in aid, 400,000 Ukrainians helped
The statement added: “We have provided our eastern neighbours with over PLN 200 million (EUR 43 million) in material assistance. Caritas Polska continues to send shipments of food, medicines, hygiene supplies and winter-survival equipment, such as generators, to Ukraine. Our donors have prepared 50,000 parcels containing food and essential supplies for Ukrainian people.”
Caritas Polska mobilised 20,000 volunteers to help the people of Ukraine, including 1,300 voluntary activists who helped refugees arriving at the Polish border, officials said.
More than 400,000 Ukrainians benefited from the charity's assistance, which included accommodation, psychological support and legal aid, reporters were told.
32 refugee centres around Poland
Moreover, Caritas Polska says it set up a network of 32 Migrant and Refugee Assistance Centres throughout Poland.
These facilities have helped tens of thousands of people this year, not only refugees from war-torn Ukraine, but also people fleeing other armed conflicts, including citizens of Chechnya and Afghanistan, according to officials.
The centres offer "material assistance" as well as free-of-charge social and psychological support, help with administrative paperwork and with learning Polish, among other services, Caritas Polska said.
Cash for families in Ukraine
In October, the charity launched “a year-long pilot project in the Ukrainian diocese of Kyiv and Zhytomyr, offering cash assistance to 620 Ukrainian families affected by the war,” according to officials.
As part of the project, each family member receives an amount equal to EUR 64 per month to meet their essential needs, Caritas Polska said.
While support for Ukraine was an undisputed priority in 2022, Caritas Polska continued to help people from other areas beset by war and humanitarian crises, such as Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Yemen, the statement added, as cited by the PAP news agency.
Friday is day 310 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, caritas.pl