During covid lockdowns, support in learning and leisure time animation for children and youth from Dębak, during summer time: trips and a 7 days long summer camp, additional help for people imprisoned in detention centers for foreigners, all this takes place under  the “Support without borders” project.

Even several years, refugees wait for decisions on granting them international protection in Poland. All this time they live in uncertainty, with minimal financial resources and without systemic support for the integration process. In addition, covid cut them off even more from the society. The project “Support without borders” is a response to the lack of activities for people who wait for a decision on granting them international protection in Poland.

The project “Support without borders”, that has begun in February, is a continuation of the activities for asylum seekers that we started in 2018. Thanks to this project, we have already visited people living in Dębak 5 times and conducted activities for them. In winter, when the Center Dębak was closed to visitors, we invited its residents and to Podkowa Leśna, where we organized activities such as: learning Polish, making homework, photography workshops, films screenings, cooking together, etc. In spring, when schools were still closed, we focused on catching up with school backlogs, so that everyone, despite remote learning, which usually meant no participation in classes, could get a promotion for next class. In addition, we learned each other’s traditions, holiday traditions and legends, and we also spent a lot of time outside in the forest where we observed nature and looked for the spring.

When the covid situation got less severe with the warm weather, we could finally enter the Dębak Center. Thanks to this, with our activities we reached more people. Together with entire families we went on a bus trip to the Julinek Park of Entertainment. There kids and youngsters had a lot of fun with climbing, swimming, sliding, playing golf etc. Parents had time to rest, talk and have a coffee. At the end of August, we got to know Lublin and its surroundings during a week long summer camp.

Apart of Dębak we organized  fundraising for people in detention center in Kętrzyn. Thanks to collected money they could purchase food and cover other essential needs. We are planning further support for people who are waiting for a decision on granting refugee status in closed centers.

The project is supported by a grant from Program Aktywni Obywatele – Fundusz Krajowy, a program financed by the EEA Grants.