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Description
In this project we address the social exclusion of migrant people residing in the Podlaskie Province. In particular, our project responds to the problems reported to us by migrants related to legalisation of stay in Poland and other life issues as well as the difficulties in adaptation and integration experienced both by migrants and the people who help them. Our project’s goal is to counter exclusion through educational activities and consultations offered to both migrant people and the host society. We also want to strengthen the social integration of migrants in the Podlaskie Province. Direct beneficiaries of the project are migrant people speaking Russian or Ukrainian, residing in the Podlaskie Province. Indirect beneficiaries are migrant people from all over Poland and the whole host society. As part of the project, we support migrants and the people who help them, taking into account an individual diagnosis of people’s needs. We will provide consultations and specialised assistance: legal and career counselling, job placement, certified translation. The support will cover various issues related to the foreigners’ legal stay in Poland: work, education and daily life. In addition, we will carry out activities aimed at lowering adaptation and integration barriers, including teaching migrants Polish as a foreign language, offering psychological support or hosting local events (e.g. family festivals).
Summary of project results
The project was needed to address the problem of social exclusion of people in a migratory situation in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. The problem resulted mainly from the lack of access to effective support in the legalization of stay and living matters, low effectiveness of local administration activities and insufficient human and financial resources of non-governmental organizations. Refugees from Belarus and Ukraine were often unaware of their legal situation and needed the support of consultants who spoke their language. The local administration, despite establishing reception points and hotlines, was unable to effectively handle the growing number of refugees, which led to dependence on the support of non-governmental organizations. The essence of the project was comprehensive support for people with migration experience in adaptation and integration, so that they could function independently in a new country as quickly as possible.
People who contacted the Foundation received the support of a consultant who, based on an individual diagnosis of needs and using comprehensive tools available in the project, provided the necessary support and/or referred them to specialists. The following activities were carried out as part of the project:
- Individual consultations (in the area of legalization of stay, work and education, as well as matters related to everyday life in Poland) - 1,072 project participants (hereinafter referred to as UP)
- Legal advice – 20 hours
- Sworn translations of documents - 267 pages.
- Career counseling – 270 UP
- Psychologist support – 83 hours
- Polish language courses – 65 UP
- Family integration picnic – 471UP
As part of institutional development, activities were carried out to increase the organization''s activity in social media and purchase equipment and fittings for the Foundation''s office:
- Purchase of 6 sets of workstation equipment consisting of: monitor and headphones,
- Purchase of an A4 multifunction device enabling two-sided, black and white printing and two-sided scanning: black and white and color
- Purchase of a smartphone - 2 chargers and a case.
- Purchase and installation of locks for cabinets (for documentation).
- Purchase office chairs 1 pc
- Purchase of office chairs for the conference room with transport - 4 pcs
- Purchase of wardrobe bodies – 4 pcs
- Purchase of shelves for wardrobes with transport – 20 pcs
- A specialist was hired. for communication and social media
1,072 people in a migration situation staying in the province took advantage of the project support in the period November 2022 - April 2024. Podlaskie and all of Poland (in the case of consultations and Polish language lessons), excluding Warsaw.
The project brought significant improvements in the integration and support of people in a migration situation. The project managed to remove key barriers faced by migrants by providing them with access to specialist help. As a result, migrants'' ability to function independently in society has improved, their susceptibility to fraud and exploitation has decreased, and their sense of security and belonging has strengthened.
Thanks to the project, the Foundation strengthened and expanded its support for people in a migration situation, improved the quality of office infrastructure and built its image in social media.
Number of foreigners - project participants who were covered by project activities - 1,072. Verification: consultation records.
- Number of hours completed by a career advisor: 630 hours. Verification: Records of career counselor''s working hours
- Number of pages translated by a sworn translator: 267 pages. Verification: translators'' protocols with confirmation of compliance with the translator''s repertory
- Number of lawyer hours completed: 20 hours. Verification: Records of lawyers'' working hours
- Number of consultations provided: 1072. Verification: records of consultations.
- Number of hours of Polish language courses: 240 hours. Verification: Contracts with teachers, records of lecturer''s hours, diaries of classes conducted.
- Number of people who took part in Polish language courses: 65 people (4 groups). Verification: diaries of conducted classes.
- Number of completed hours of psychological counseling: 83 hours for 11 UP. Verification: contracts with psychologists, records of psychologists'' working hours, protocols of support provided.
- Number of integration events carried out – 1 picnic. Verification: FB post, photos.