English summary
The Foundation “Support Children in Poland” has as its mission to improve social and housing conditions for children in Poland. The way to achieve this is in supporting local children residences (mainly with disabled children). The foundation has a solid history and grew from a group of volunteers that started over 35 years ago and developed into a key foundation that got her legal status as a NGO foundation in 1998. The foundation is depending on gifts of the public or other socially engaged partners as well as all the good voluntary work of a big group of supports. We cannot say enough how happy we are with this human capital.
Our motto is that all our available funds should directly be invested in the projects that we support, there is no overhead and the costs of governing the foundation are carried by the individual board members.
We believe in cooperation as a ‘modus operandi’ this means that we look for local partners and local funding as a part of the process.
The foundation is not related to any particular part of society with specific ethnical, religious or social backgrounds and thus the foundation offers help to projects that are considered in the highest need.
The focus has always been very concentrated. We do not start a new project before being assured that the former project will be finished. All projects are monitored after finishing them for at least 10 years. Our dogma is to work 100% transparent and that is why all donors, sponsors and other interested people are welcome to join us (at their own expenses). There is still an important annually transport of goods (mainly medicines, bed good and furniture) to Poland.
Over the last 11 years as an official foundation we have achieved a lot. The main results are:
- In 2001 a new residence for multiply disabled children has been finished in Brzozow, in the Southeast of Poland. The residence currently houses 65 children (plus some 25 nurses) and is a jewel with high quality equipment. The project was adopted in 1998 when only the carcass had been build and the owners of the building were desperate to find additional funding to finish the building. Almost one million euro´s have been invested in the project through our foundation. At their first lustrum the foundation decided to support the house with funding a boundary so the children can now safely play around the building. Finally in 2008 an outdoors playing field with all kinds of attributes have been inaugurated;
- Literally on the boarder of Poland and the Ukraine we supported another residence for disabled children in Wielkie Oczy. With the financial and organizational help of our foundation the residence has managed to build a new wing attached to the already existing real estate. Thirteen dormitories, 4 bathrooms, a dining hall and 2 class rooms were added. The residence now meets the European building codes and gives its residents a far more comfortable house. During the building activities the foundation has also refurbished the playing ground.
Since 2015 we started a project to realize a large garden where grow vegetables, fruittrees and potato’s. The residents of the house Wielkie Oczy have in this way a daytime activities just outside the home. The go to work and that gives them convidence.
- A school in Cisna in a very remote area has been upgraded with the help of the foundation. To qualify as a gymnasium we had to add another floor. The result of the qualification as a gymnasium makes it possible for children to learn close to their houses. Qualification also meant additional educational and financial support of the Polish governments.
- In Zagorz we are finalizing a new wing for a residence of elderly and confused people. Not really children but the needs were just so obvious that the foundation decided to support this project. In the 2012 the building is finished and meets the Polish and European building codes.
- In Jordanow there is a house with some 40 disabled children. The foundation made it possible to refurbish the kitchen in 2009. There is a lot more that need to be improved in this house so the foundation will keep monitoring this project. Floor by floor the house is renovated. In 2012 there was a snoezelkamer realized. In 2015 the playground has been renewed and also decorative paintings have been applied.
- In the hospital of Lubaczow we were able to make the `looks` of the children’s care centre better. With the help of volunteering artists we painted animal figures in the corridors and in the rooms. We also provided more toys to make the stay for children in such an impressive surrounding less threatening.
- Another residence for multiply disabled children is located in Wielka Wies. Once again we have offered them goods and material (especially therapeutically) and very important some fun. We had some clowns and a youth band from the Netherlands that volunteered and brought some joy in their lives.
- There is a children´s residence with 57 children in Nysa. With help of the foundation they managed to extend their home and to extend it with a class room. Important volunteers have done fantastic work in improving the conditions in this house as well as providing essential material and goods.
October 2018
Stichting Steun Kinderen in Polen