Afghanistan
Indonesia
Iraq
Yemen
Kenya
Lebanon
Madagascar
Somalia
South Sudan
Ukraine
Polska

The sudden escalation of the war in Ukraine triggered the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. It is estimated that 15 million people have left their homes in Ukraine, and 7 million of them have fled to other countries. In response to this emergency, in May 2022, we set up a special national office in Poland, whose task has been since to provide assistance to refugees in Poland.

  • Population:
    37.8 million

  • Number of people in need of humanitarian aid:
    1.2-4 million refugees

  • We started helping in:
    2022

  • Cost of aid provided by PAH in 2022:
    66 670 491 PLN

  • Number of people we reached with aid in 2022:
    1 185 012

Since the beginning of the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, we have been helping people affected by this situation. Poland is hosting the largest number of refugees from Ukraine. Currently, there are 1.2 to 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees in the country. Even before the outbreak of the conflict, over 1 million Ukrainians lived in Poland. Moreover, Poland is a transit state for hundreds of thousands of refugees travelling to other countries.

In the first months, our activities focused on the Polish-Ukrainian border, where we ran immediate assistance points in such places as Dorohusk, Zosin and Hrebenne, as well as material and non-material help for refugees. In the following months, our aid evolved into activities aimed at integrating refugees, including extended aid card distribution programmes, supporting Polish organisations in their initiatives, both financially and with our expertise, providing psychosocial support, food for children and youths affected by the refugee crisis, assistance with employment, integration, access to Polish language courses or education, as well as distribution of food and hygiene kits in western Ukraine in cooperation with local authorities.

Through the national office in Poland, we also continued the activities carried out on the Polish-Belarusian border. In August 2022, we opened a logistics centre in Białystok to supply organisations and individuals from the Border Group (Grupa Granica), which is a coalition of several NGOs and activist groups that operate on the Polish-Belarusian border. Our warehouse is also open to residents of border areas and other associations or organisations working in this area and involved in helping refugees and migrants.

How we helped in Poland in 2022?

Legal and psychosocial aid

  • Providing access to legal aid: advice on legal status, social, labour and other issues, both online and on site
  • Supporting access to psychological help for people in crisis as well as our volunteers and employees
  • Providing support in the event of a threat of human trafficking in connection with the war in Ukraine

Shelter and non-food aid

  • Support in finding temporary and permanent residence
  • Providing basic necessities and specialised equipment for people with disabilities and chronic diseases
  • Providing non-food items

Financial aid

  • Distribution of aid cards for refugees from Ukraine for the purchase of basic items

Emergency aid

  • Running immediate assistance points at border crossings in Zosin, Dorohusk and Hrebenne
  • Providing the necessary items to people arriving in Poland, including food, water, hygiene products, medicines and warm blankets
  • Providing information and facilitating communication
  • Helping people with special needs, including the disabled and the elderly

List of projects completed in Poland in 2022

Number of aid recipients:
240 755

Number of women and girls that received aid:
202 155

Project location:
Zosin, Hrebenne, Dorohusk

Source of funds:
PAH’s own funds, Action Aid

The sudden escalation of the conflict in Ukraine triggered a rapidly growing refugee crisis in our region after 24th February. Poland has become a safe haven for Ukrainians. PAH reacted immediately to the crisis, both in Ukraine and in Poland.

Our activities were aimed at providing immediate assistance at border crossings to people fleeing Ukraine. For several consecutive months from the outset of the crisis, we operated immediate assistance points at the crossings in Zosin (until May 2022), Dorohusk (until July 2022) and Hrebenne (until August 2022).

At the points, we distributed essential items to people coming to Poland: food, water, hygiene products, medicines and warm blankets. Our interpreters provided information, facilitated communication and directed people to reception points. We set up windproof tents, which served as a place to rest and eat a meal. On top of that, our volunteers from Dorohusk regularly distributed essentials to people arriving by the Kiev-Warsaw evacuation train.

Number of aid recipients:
27 408

Number of women and girls that received aid:
18 363

Project location:
Bartoszyce, Koszalin, Olsztyn, Kraków, Przemyśl, Stargard Szczeciński, Toruń, Warszawa

Source of funds:
PAH’s own funds, Action Aid, DRC, CARE USA

Distribution of aid cards that allowed refugees from Ukraine to purchase essential items.

The aim of the project was to provide the basic necessities for a specific period of time to those who needed it most.

Number of aid recipients:
900 000

Project location:
Medyka, Przemyśl

Source of funds:
PAH’s own funds, Action Aid, CARE USA

From 24th February till the end of 2022, 617,690 people from Ukraine arrived at the railway station in Przemyśl, and 415,655 took a train to Ukraine. In the same period, 2,061,566 people crossed at Medyka to the Republic of Poland and 1,790,390 people left for Ukraine.

People crossing the borders were provided with information as well as water and snacks. We estimated that more than 900,000 people benefited from this type of minimum support.

As part of the project, we ran a border and reception point at the railway station in Przemyśl. We provided interpretation services, assured proper flow of information and helped in solving individual problems of refugees (help in finding lost documents or items, referral to the appropriate aid centre in Poland, arranging transport, etc.). We initiated daily coordination briefings for services and organisations involved in providing assistance at the railway station (they are held to this day), which significantly improved the functioning of the station. We provided food, psychological help and possibility of a medical consultation.

Number of aid recipients:
8 298

 

Number of women and girls that received aid:
4 792

Project location:
Przemyśl

Source of funds:
PAH’s own funds, CARE USA

In collaboration with the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, we provided multi-faceted assistance to refugees from Ukraine in Poland.

The main objective of the project was to improve the circumstances of people affected by the conflict in Ukraine who are staying in Poland through job placement, language courses, assistance in finding housing as well as legal and psychological support.

We supported our partner both with our expertise and technical means, assisting with the large-scale project management. Our operations focused on providing temporary shelter in Przemyśl and serving meals. Additionally, we offered psychological support, aided in the search for permanent residence or employment, and arranged integration activities.

Number of aid recipients:
1 042

Number of women and girls that received aid:
905

Project location:
Toruń, Bydgoszcz

Source of funds:
PAH’s own funds, CARE USA

The aim of the project was to provide comprehensive and personal support to people who fled Ukraine in the face of war and who are staying in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.

In cooperation with the EMIC Foundation, we set up information and advisory points in Toruń and Bydgoszcz. At the points, Ukrainians could receive informed about the Polish social security system, registration for PESEL (Polish resident identification number), etc., but also have their documents translated, seek assistance in finding a job or get psychological support. We also financed Polish language lessons on various levels of advancement.

Number of aid recipients:
3 508

Project location:
Warsaw

Source of funds:
PAH’s own funds, Action Aid

The aim of the project was to support the current activities of the La Strada Foundation for the benefit of people at risk of trafficking in human beings by enhancing assistance offered to Ukrainian-speaking people.

Such persons received support in the event of a threat of trafficking in human beings in connection with the war in Ukraine, as well as information assistance, e.g. in the field of labour law, and legal support. There were also printed special information materials for the refugees. The project encompassed trainings for people who might come into contact with victims of trafficking in human beings.

The project allowed to increase in the level of protection among potential victims of trafficking in human beings.

Number of aid recipients:
929

Number of women and girls that received aid:
483

Project location:
Cracow, Warsaw

Source of funds:
PAH’s own funds, CARE USA, Plan International

The main objective of the project was to run the Reception Point in Krakow and the Integration Support Point in Warsaw.

In cooperation with the Mudita Association, we financed the operation of two assistance points adapted to the needs of people with disabilities and chronic diseases. We also launched the so-called respite support provided by volunteers. It is addressed to families outside the point where assistants arrange to spend time with a child or a disabled person, thus giving other family members time to rest.

Number of aid recipients:
3 000

Project location:
Białystok

Source of funds:
PAH’s own funds

Supplying Grupa Granica (Border Group) with food and non-food items necessary to provide assistance to people crossing the Polish-Belarusian border.

Distributed articles:

  • Clothes – 5289 pcs.
  • Shoes – 715 pairs
  • Food and water (multipacks) – 2464 pcs.
  • Camping equipment – 954 pcs.
  • Cosmetics – 285 pcs.

As a result of our activities, from August to December 2022, nearly 10,000 items were issued from the warehouse. As part of our assistance, we also delivered goods to the bases of the Border Group located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship.

* The Border Group estimates that between August and December 2022 its aid reached nearly 3,000 people. Due to the exceptional situation and the way the activists of the Border Group operate as well as limited reporting possibilities in the matter, it is difficult to determine the exact number of people who received help.

The story of Iryna and her family

Become a partner of PAH

Join our group of partners and support our domestic and international activities.

Typy wyświetlanych danych

Emergency response

Afghanistan

An escalation of the internal conflict in August 2022 resulted in a sudden change of power in Afghanistan. The military operations carried out in various parts of the country combined with the withdrawal of international armed forces between April and July 2022, led to mass displacement of people, which entailed the loss of homes and livelihoods. In 2022, the number of internally displaced persons reached 4.4 million. As a result of the rapidly progressing military operations, thousands of people sought shelter in the largest cities. Such a spike in the number of internally displaced people, combined with a sudden change of power and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, foretells more problems with access to basic services, as well as an increase in the prices of essential goods.

Afghanistan is also a disaster-prone country: in recent years, floods, landslides and droughts have severely affected the population in some of its provinces. One such event was a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the central region of Afghanistan on 22nd June 2022. Among particularly afflicted areas were the provinces of Paktika and Khost, where according to OCHA figures 770 people were killed and 1,455 injured. In the Gayan District (Paktika Province), close to 1,500 buildings were destroyed or damaged. The earthquake not only deprived many people of their homes, but also exacerbated the demand for healthcare, water, sanitation, and food.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Emergency response

Indonesia

As a result of the earthquake in Indonesia in December 2018, several hundred people died and over 7,000 were injured. At that time, our activities focused on providing assistance and responding to the most urgent needs of the affected inhabitants. The 2022 project was a continuation of aid that was already in progress.

In 2022, as part of our activities we reinforced the local emergency response team through training, simulations, and the installation of appropriate facilities.

 

 

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Humanitarian assistance

Iraq

Millions of people in Iraq still suffer the tragic effects of the long-year conflict. Many Iraqis still cannot return to their places of residence and remain in IDP camps or in informal clusters.

Since the beginning of our presence in Iraq, we have focused on activities in the water and sanitary sector. We have supported internally displaced persons, Syrian refugees and the local community. We have also strived to provide them with livelihood and legal assistance. In 2022, after the Iraqi authorities announced the end of humanitarian operations and began closing camps for internally displaced persons, we implemented a strategy aimed at motivating the displaced people to return to their former homes. As part of it, we provided them with safe shelters and financial assistance for the renovation of residential buildings. In addition, we became active in the health sector by supporting medical facilities and conducting trainings for their employees. We concentrated our activities in the region of the Sinjar mountain range and in the Qayrawan Sub-District.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Humanitarian assistance

Yemen

Natural disasters, hard economic situation, damaged infrastructure: those are daily challenges for many inhabitants of Yemen. PAH regularly monitors the situation in the country. Based on that, in 2022 we decided to carry out activities in the camps for internally displaced persons in Ma’rib – an area particularly affected by the humanitarian crisis due to the proximity of the front line. We took over the coordination role in 4 camps: Al Arsh, Ereq Al Jalal, Al Akrameh and Almurraf. Given the difficulties in accessing health services, we provided support to two local clinics, and in cooperation with a local partner, we repaired the water and sanitary infrastructure in the Al Arsh camp. Moreover, as part of activities in the education sector, we supported over 2,000 children by building classrooms as well as providing financial and material assistance to students and teachers in 8 classes.

In 2022, we invariably continued our work in the Aden and Al Dhale’e areas, providing comprehensive support for two clinics and one regional hospital. In addition, we carried out immediate actions by erecting over 300 houses for people who lost their homes as a result of a flood in August 2022.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Humanitarian and development assistance

Kenya

In response to the challenges posed by climate change, PAH’s activities focus on the local community in three counties of south-eastern part of the country – Kitui, Makueni and Machakos. We upgrade the water and sanitary infrastructure in schools, thus preventing children from leaving the education system. By supporting small farmers, we contribute to improving their yields and generating income by agricultural cooperatives in which they are associated.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Development assistance

Lebanon

Lebanon remains the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. According to UNHCR estimates, the country is home to 1.5 million Syrian and 174,000 Palestinian refugees, as well as over 13,000 refugees of other nationalities.

The difficult socio-economic situation, tensions between different communities and high unemployment rate generate persistent conflicts over access to basic goods and services.

Since 2020, we have been running in Lebanon a training centre where both the Lebanese and people of other nationalities can enhance their professional and personal skills. Trainings allows them to increase their competitiveness on the labour market and gain self-confidence. Workshops conducted at the Centre are diverse and deal with, among others, modern computer techniques, graphic design, creating computer games, sewing, business and entrepreneurship or acting. Courses usually last several days. After completion participants receive special certificates.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Humanitarian assistance

Madagascar

Droughts plaguing the country since 2019 have brought the southern regions of Madagascar to the brink of a severe humanitarian crisis. These natural disasters, largely caused by climate change, have dramatically affected the lives, health and livelihoods of the population. To make things worse, farmers in the Atsimo-Andrefana and Atsinana regions deal with autumn locust attacks and sandstorms, which could severely impact livelihoods of those who breed cattle in these areas. At least 47% of people living in the southern regions may experience a high degree of malnutrition.

We commenced our activities in Madagascar in the spring of 2022. It is the 8th country in which we are running a permanent aid programme. Our goal is to respond to the most urgent needs of the inhabitants of the southern parts of the country and provide them with access to basic services, including safe and clean water and food. Our activities resulted in commissioning 10 new water intakes, building latrines, launch of the food-for-work initiative, establishment of tree nurseries and provision of meals to children in school canteens.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Humanitarian assistance

Somalia

Lacking access to water has significantly increased the incidence of diseases such as cholera and acute diarrhoea among both the population and livestock. Insufficient access to water and sanitary infrastructure further aggravates the situation. The activities of PAH focus in particular on helping internally displaced people living in overcrowded camps, as well as inhabitants of isolated villages.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Humanitarian assistance

South Sudan

South Sudan is a country in a state of humanitarian crisis. Prolonged armed conflict, ethnic and social violence, floods, epidemics and food shortages – those are only some of the many threats to which the country’s inhabitants are exposed.

The region most damaged by flooding and violence is the Jonglei state. This is where PAH directs a large part of its support, which includes ensuring access to safe drinking water, basic necessities, materials for building temporary shelters and educational services.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Humanitarian assistance

Ukraine

In order to meet the most urgent needs of the conflict-affected population, we carried out multi-sectoral activities throughout Ukraine, focusing mainly on the eastern and southern regions of the country. We ensured cash support covering 3-month basic expenses and carried out renovations of water and sanitary infrastructure in centres for internally displaced persons and in social welfare institutions. We also distributed hygiene and food kits in cooperation with major international organisations. We renovated destroyed private homes and provided temporary shelters in the form of modular houses to homeless families.

We established eight territorial aid centres, where we provided psychological and legal assistance. In addition, we set up mobile teams of psychologists who reached out with help to smaller cities and villages.

Poznaj szczegóły naszych działań

Użyj palca by poruszać się po mapie