News from our sister Soroptimists in Krakow. As we reported in March when war broke out, our Club rallied round with other Clubs to send monies directly to SI Krakow.
To date, our own members have raised almost £2000 with a special shout out to Dishi for her fund raising efforts.
Do read this report from SI Krakow about how the money is being used to directly help the women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine. The email from Anna makes incredibly moving reading so be prepared to have the tissues handy, especially when you see the names of women and how they’ve been helped. Her simple list of expenditure and activities shows so well how Soroptimists stand up for women. The war is now more than 100 days old and is clearly not going away. However not only have SI Krakow helped with the initial refugee situation, but have plans for the immediate future and longer term plans. It’s so heart warming to be a member of such a truly international organisation.
Dear Friend,
We’d like you to know how we are spending the money we got from you. You will see our past, ongoing and planned projects.
Have a look below please.
Thanks to donations sent directly to Krakow SI Club from clubs and individuals from the European Federation, Federation of Great Britain and Ireland and Federation of the Americas we have implemented the following activities:
1. Sandwiches, pastries, fruits and soft drinks for the waiting/resting room at the Bus Station in Kraków (for two months) 5289,08
2. Purchase of canned food for humanitarian transport to Ukraine 170,82
3. Buying thermal blankets – for the humanitarian transport to Ukraine (together with Your Visible Hand Foundation) 2023,50
4. Assistance to a family of refugees from Mariupol: picking them up from the border, feeding and clothing them, providing accommodation for few nights before they went further to Germany to join their family 4677,51
5. Purchasing food, toiletries, cleaning agents, etc. for the shop run by an NGO in Kalwaryjska Street 992,34
6. Helping Slava, Victoria and their daughters – shopping for necessities after their arrival to Poland and then food for Christmas for these families 1640,04
7. Help for family displaced from Crimea and running away from hell in Mariupol 6000,48
8. Purchase of a refrigerator for the waiting room at Kraków Bus Station – for Voluntary Service Platform 4 1498.00
Total:
22291,77
Our plans for the future, projects in preparation and in progress:
1. Purchasing medical equipment for Anastasia who has a child on parenteral nutrition 1000,00
2. Help for Olena with a child, to get necessities 3000,00
3. Integration meeting with Ukrainian mothers and their children on 29th May 2022 4000,00
4. Co-organising a celebration of children’s day in a small town of Biłgoraj, together with SOS Children’s Villages 3000,00
5. Margarets for Krakow region – Farmona cosmetics purchased with a significant discount provided by the Soroptimist producer will be given to Margarets from Ukraine 1500,00
Total:
12500,00
If we get more funds, we’d spend them on the following:
· Subsidising Polish language courses for Ukrainians, together with the Always Worth Foundation
· Continuing the food aid in the waiting room at the bus station in Krakow, together with the Voluntary Service 4 peron
· Financing the purchase of tickets for the show in the Groteska puppet theatre played in Ukrainian for Ukrainian children and their mums.
Thanks to #projectmatching @soroptimisteurope i @soroptimist_poland War Zone Initiatives and donations by Soroptimists from federations of Europe, Great Britain and Ireland and Americas our club got 50.000,00 PLN allocated by Soroptimist Poland we’ve done the following:
1. Humanitarian aid for medical rescue units in Ukraine together with Krakow Ambulance Service 9931,47
2. Support in purchasing maternity kits for delivering Ukrainian mothers – together with KOALA – Family Maternity Centre 9972,00
3. Help for Sława and Victoria with daughters 10000,00
4. Help for Anastasia (a different person to the above mentioned) with an autistic child 10000,00
5. Organisation of a room where psychological counselling for Ukrainian women will take place – together with IGNATIANUM Academy in Krakow 10000,00
Total:
49903,47 Two trucks of humanitarian aid from Italy were redirected by Anna Wszelaczyńska to the City of Kraków warehouses, repacked on arrival and sent by humanitarian transports to Ukraine.
23th April, 2022
Best
Anna
Anna WSZELACZYŃSKA
Immediate Past President 2021-2023
Soroptimist International of Europe