More than four million Ukrainian refugees have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border since the start of the war with Russia. The situation, expectations and needs of this group are gradually changing. New problems are emerging and it is time for more comprehensive assistance, ADRA Poland Foundation leaders said. The organization has supported refugees from Ukraine since the first day of the war.
At first, a large group of refugees planned to return home quickly, but today they are more likely to think of a long-term stay in Poland. Refugees report psychological difficulties such as feelings of guilt, worthlessness, aggression, insecurity and the need to provide for their children with their own limited resources.
July 2022 has been a particularly difficult month for war refugees from Ukraine due to the expiration of government assistance and the tourist season. Comprehensive and specialized support is needed to help them recover from war trauma, find their way into the job market and integrate into Polish society, ADRA leaders said.
The ADRA Poland Foundation assists war-affected citizens of Ukraine through humanitarian transportation, evacuations, cash assistance, refugee shelters, and psychological assistance. The foundation runs nearly 50 refugee shelters.
“In the beginning, people who were completely surprised by the war predominated,” said Karol Templin, head of the “Comprehensive support for refugees from Ukraine” project, which the ADRA Poland Foundation organized in partnership with the charity CARE.
“It was not uncommon for the people we helped to leave home with a bag and only one set of clothes. Surprised by the events, shocked and confused, they hadn’t had time to plan what to do next. Our first aid to these people was to provide housing and equipment, evacuation from Ukraine and border support,” Templin explained.
A changing situation
While ADRA Poland organizes humanitarian transport with in-kind assistance (food, medical supplies and hygiene products), it transported 1,167 people from Ukraine to Poland. Earlier in July, workers managed to evacuate 41 residents from frontline Mykolaiv. After more than 1,000 kilometers traveled, Ukrainian residents reached Rzeszow and Warsaw. Those in need of shelter found it at the ADRA Poland shelter in Warsaw. More than 2,000 people have so far benefited from ADRA-run shelters, two-thirds of whom are women (including girls) and the rest are minors.
“Currently, people interested in long-term residency are applying to our centers,” said Elżbieta Krzynówek, regional coordinator for ADRA Foundation Poland. “They intend to find permanent and legal work and stay in our country for six months, a year or more, with their children attending educational institutions. The accommodation we provide in shelters is to help them find work and future housing. Eventually, they plan to rent an apartment.
Renata Karolewska, another ADRA Poland Foundation regional coordinator, explained that refugees’ perceptions of the immediate future have changed. “At the beginning, I mainly heard: ‘The war will soon be over; I’ll be home in a moment. Gradually, however, the situation changed. Refugees build relationships with each other and with their Polish neighbors, integrate into the community, find jobs, plan to stay longer, especially if they come from war-torn areas and have nothing to return to,” Karolewska said. On the other hand, the inhabitants of western Ukraine very often have as their objective a quick return home.
Psychological support
Satisfying basic needs paves the way for other problems, explained Ukrainian-born psychotherapist Roksana Korulczyk. “In addition to the general challenges of adaptation of finding themselves in a new situation, in a foreign country, and the lack of language skills, each person has been individually affected by the tragedy of war, particularly through the death of loved one, separation, loss of housing or work.
Korulczyk is one of four Ukrainian psychologists who provide psychological and informational assistance to Ukrainian refugees under an initiative of the ADRA Poland Foundation. All four of them are on duty by phone and in chat rooms, and they post expert advice online.
“Currently, we are most often approached by refugee women and refugees who ask us how they can regain a sense of security,” Korulczyk said. “They ask why they react differently to the same situations and how to find meaning in their lives after losing everything. They often struggle with guilt, even if they don’t know where it comes from. They wonder how to manage their aggression, which is natural in their situation, and how they can help their child in persistent difficulty and find the strength to help, when they do not have the strength to help themselves.
Mental health professionals often see doubts and a reluctance to seek help. According to experts, this is the result of the difficult experience of the beginning of the war and the fairly widespread belief in Ukrainian society that psychological help is something stigmatizing and reserved for people with mental illness.
The time of integration
The ADRA Poland Foundation also sets up integration centers for foreigners, places of comprehensive assistance with expert support in the field of psychology, legal advice, learning the Polish language and even relaxing massages. Centers will be created, among others, in Warsaw, Lublin and Katowice. In a later phase, ADRA plans to open other centers in other parts of the country.
“Many refugees will stay longer with us,” Templin said. “That’s why we need comprehensive and specialized support to help them recover from the trauma of war, to train, to learn the language, to find their way in the labor market and to integrate. to Polish society.
The original version of this story was published on the Inter-European Division news sites.