UNICEF to help Kraków

UNICEF has once again offered to help Kraków care for refugees from Ukraine who have found shelter in our city. On 30 March its representatives, the so-called emergency team and UNICEF Poland Director-General Marek Krupiński, visited the Mayor of Kraków. The purpose of the meeting was to present the possibile UNICEF's support for the activities of the local government of Kraków in the area of caring for the youngest refugees.

In March 2022, an agreement was signed between the Polish government and UNICEF guaranteeing assistance in various activities, such as: opening aid centres, providing in-kind help for young refugees and their families, organising psychological training, language courses for Ukrainian teachers and students, as well as providing funds to cover the costs of specific needs. Representatives of the emergency team stressed that their most important partner in Poland are the local authorities, especially in cities such as Kraków, which has taken in a very large group of refugees and is trying to organise care and appropriate conditions for them in a systematic way.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Kraków Andrzej Kulig and Anna Korfel-Jasińska, as well as the Secretary of the City Antoni Fryczek and the directors of the city departments and units most involved in organising assistance for refugees from Ukraine: the Department of Social Policy and Health and the City Social Assistance Centre. They presented very detailed information about the current situation of the new young residents of Kraków and the needs and challenges that the Kraków local government is facing in order to provide them with decent living conditions in our city, medical and psychological care, conditions for learning and opportunities for valuable leisure activities, as well as safe rest during the upcoming summer holidays. Many of the children who have come to Kraków need treatment, rehabilitation and constant medical care. The scale of needs is very large, and - what is more important - it grows every week. Currently, there are around 5,000 Ukrainian children in Kraków schools and kindergartens. All of them need not only a roof over their heads, but also daily care, education and conditions for development with a sense of security. This is a very complex challenge - it also involves ensuring conditions for integration for children and their carers in the city of refuge, and therefore educating Ukrainian teachers, learning the Polish language, finding jobs for the children's carers, and even learning Ukrainian history and geography to strengthen ties with native culture and roots.

UNICEF's assistance will be implemented on the basis of a letter of intent, the signing of which is planned to take place in the coming weeks. At the same time, representatives of the City and the UNICEF team will develop a priority list of needs in education, child protection and health care.

UNICEF is the United Nations Children's Fund established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1946. It relies on contributions from UN member states and private donors. It operates wherever children's living and development conditions are threatened. UNICEF cooperates with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.