INTERVIEWS AHEAD OF KRYNICA FORUM 2023
Joanna Sadzik, Spring Association President, about helping Ukraine: At first it was an all-hands-on-deck work of heart, now the actions are more streamlined
‘Colossal work, first in the pandemic years, then for refugees, has meant that many volunteers simply need to catch a break. But there are still plenty of places where volunteers are sorely needed. It would be good if the people who haven’t been engaged so far or have been engaged a little less took over from those who need a respite,’ remarks Joanna Sadzik, President of the Spring Association.
We have lived through a unique experience of aiding the Ukrainian people. In what way can we explain massive help that Poles rendered to Ukrainians at the start of the war?
We saw the shelled streets that look just like the streets of Kraków, Wrocław, or Warsaw. We felt the warfare happening very close. We sensed the threat from Russia more tangibly, with real fears that in a moment the problem might involve us as well. That’s the bedrock of the sense of community. Apart from this, us Poles like hurtling into action. We like feeling our agency. We want to take the matters into our own hands and have an impact. Any help we have offered then really affected some actual people. We did see the effects of our actions at once. We’ve had a palpable feeling we were doing something good.
How large was the part of society which took part in helping?
Over 50 per cent. We used to say almost everyone did, but it wasn’t true. Still, over half of us really did act. It’s a huge percentage anyway, because in normal times merely 9 to 10 per cent of society engages in any sort of volunteering action. So the scale of involvement was immense.
A year and a half has passed. How has the help for Ukraine changed in this time span?
The people who acted for the long term in such associations as the SPRING, keep helping. We are aiding children, supporting families in their adaptation process in Poland, trying to take care in particular of those who due to their age or illness are unable to have a job. We are also assisting the Ukrainians who are coming to Poland for treatment. Many organisations that help Ukrainians are still active in our country, the business is still open to helping. Fund-raising is still held, although to a lesser extent. We are sending food, humanitarian help to the regions where it is needed. The help transformed into something more systemic. At first it was an all-hands-on-deck work of heart, now the actions are more streamlined.
Are there still volunteers ready to bring help? Or maybe their numbers are dwindling?
There are fewer volunteers, the interest in this line of work is lower. We are no longer acting in such excitement as we used to. But you need to remember that we are dealing with unusual circumstances. First we experienced two years of the pandemic, then the war in Ukraine broke out. These were trials and tribulations, difficult times. The activists are exhausted, because they brought help during the pandemic, too. Last year’s effort was connected to huge sacrifice. For a long time, we’ve been living in uncertainty, and uncertainty takes its mental toil. Many people simply need to catch a break. But there are still plenty of places where volunteers are sorely needed. It would be good if the people who haven’t been engaged so far or have been engaged a little less took over from those who need a respite.
The difference between the situation a year and a half ago and the situation now is also in the voices of people who are unsympathetic to Ukrainians, now heard more.
Yes, luckily they are not so numerous, there is no wholesale escalation of anti-Ukrainian behaviour. No matter the ups and downs, we are integrating. To a large extent, the credit goes to people from Ukraine. They found their bearings in Poland. The great majority of newcomers were women with children. They work hard, send their children to school, are learning the language. Even though their situation is not easy. They were thrown into a new environment, a big part of them left their families, husbands, brothers in Ukraine.
Last year’s experience taught us the mechanics of action, of grassroots structures, of efficiency in fund acquisition, systemic helping?
The NGOs that lent a hand in helping Ukraine have for sure learnt how to acquire funds and collaborate with business. In this situation, they needed to gain new competences. Help groups in social media are still active, the exchange of things, information, knowledge is there. But when it comes to approaching the grassroots structures and systemic helping, I’m not convinced everyone has learnt the lesson. I do hope, however, that we won’t have the chance to check it in the years to come, that there won’t be another Covid, war escalation, conflict in a neighbouring country or at home.
Joanna Sadzik, President of the Spring Association (Stowarzyszenie Wiosna), will be a guest at a Krynica Forum 2023 debate dedicated to aiding Ukraine.
