Pontes at the conference in Pamplona.

In the last days of May, we participated in the Women's health goes digital conference.
We gave a presentation entitled The Eastern European approach to women's reproductive health - from the perspective of a Ukrainian psychologist.

The conference brought together more than 50 participants from around the world and was an opportunity to share the best experiences, tools and methodologies in implementing programs in the field of women's health and rights.

24.04.2024

Our event was mentioned by the Spanish magazine Magisterio!

Real stories and practical solutions
The next day of the workshop featured testimonies, including a moving story of Ukrainian refugee Viktor Chorishko, who was forced to emigrate twice due to the war. The testimonies dealt with the difficulties of the integration process. The presentation of the project website and discussion of its content for youth workers was accompanied by a reflection on the importance of having available resources to support efforts to integrate migrants.

Together 4 Integration project- Reflecting on migration

On 23 January we conducted a focus group interview. We asked our stuff members working with youth how we can better help young migrants. The results of our work were very interesting!
Over the next few months, we will be creating a report based on the data collected with our partner organisations from across Europe!

Watch a recap of the Mariya in Poland 2023 programme - which we are continuing in 2024!

In 2023, we implemented a mentoring programme for Ukrainian women, professional courses, summer camps and many other development and integration activities! In addition, we run free Polish language classes in 5 cities.

We also cooperated with the Foundation Siła Kobiety in Wrocław, where we ran a Literary Senior Club, Art-therapy and thematic meetings for the local Ukrainian community!

16.01.2024

Together for Integration

Pontes in partnership with organisations from Spain (Siena Educacion, Albihar Fundacion) and Slovenia (Fundacija Sursum) is launching a new KA2 Erasmus + project!
Our objective is to improve the integration process of young migrants through the professionalization of youth workers competencies and tools. In the future, we will develop a system of country-based stakeholders providing the full range of services required from arrival to a country to full integration!

Pontes impact on preventing women exploitation

Pontes creates a safe space of help and support for women from Ukraine and their children who had to leave their country because of the war. One of the focuses of our activities is to help them find a decent job in Poland without fear of exploitation.

We are glad to present the video about our activities created by our partners Knights of Columbus!

Reflecting on one year of supporting Ukrainians

With the generous support of our community, WONDER has been helping Ukrainian refugees since the first day of the war. One year later, we continue to offer long-term support to help Ukrainian families rebuild their lives. -

 Read the article about Pontes published by our partner organisation Wonder Foundation!

Ukrainki w Polsce: pracując poniżej kwalifikacji, walczą o codzienny byt

On Women's Day, EWNT Poland published an interview with Pontes' team member - Natalia that she recently gave to Family News Service.
"Helping Ukraine, we build bridges between our people that will last for years and decades" - emphasises Natalia Strzyżewska. She adds that the gratitude of the refugees for this aid is truly sincere. "This friendship is extremely important for us, because Russian propaganda does a lot to divide Poles and Ukrainians,".

Natalia, CSO of Pontes

Volunteer Packing for Ukrainian Families
10.12.2022
This weekend we organized volunteer packing in Szczecin. 50 boxes for Ukrainian families were packed by our teenage volunteers. Girls decorated beautiful cookies for Ukrainian children, as a sweet presents for Christmas.

The Joy of Giving

Christmas Charity Concert to Support Displaced Ukrainian Families in Poland is coming soon! Professional musicians from all over the world united together to support Ukrainian women and their children. We want to give Christmas Joy and help Ukrainian refugees in Poland! 
 December 26, 2022 | Check your time zone! 
Join us! Contribute and share the joy with others! 
 

Wrocław:
We invite you to the Curriculum Vitae Know-how workshop

On 26 November, after the Polish language classes for Ukrainian women, we invite you to a workshop on CV writing, job-related vocabulary and the job interview. We start at 11:30 a.m. For more information, please contact us via the website or get in touch with the local coordinator.

Weekend in Siedlce

Last weekend, we visited Siedlce, where many interesting activities are taking place for the Ukrainian community! 

On Saturday morning, the girls from the Youth Club run by the local coordinator - Julia, met in order to participate in a thematic meeting and tea talks. This week there was a discussion on leadership in the modern world.

To get rest after the reflection session, the girls, under with the help of Julia, took part in mascot sewing workshop. 

On Sunday, we organized an integration trip for the Ukrainian community in Siedlce to Kazimierz Dolny. The historic city, surrounded by the beautiful landscapes of the Vistula River, made a great impression on our participants. The guide told our group about the history of the city's architecture. At the end of the trip, we took a photo together on the observation deck!

 It was really fantastic!

Ukrainian Family Picnic in Katowice

08.10.2022

October started in a nice atmosphere! Our project coordinator - Sylwia - organized the inauguration of the "Masha in Poland" project  in Katowice.

Our participants had opportunity to meet each other, had good conversation with a cake and cup of coffee. Children were happy to play on an open-air playground that was provided by the local kindergarten. 

We wanted to unite local Ukrainian refugees and build the community. Also they were able to address their needs and we are looking forward to put all our efforts to help them. 

Pontes participated in "Be to Care"


We are proud that Pontes had opportunity to take part in the «Be to Care» event that took place in Rome, Italy. 70 organizations from 30 countries shared their experience on solving social issues. Discussions, case studies, expert speeches of «Be to Care» event were reflecting on such topics as caring for vulnerable group of people, social sustainability, improvement of society, collaboration in crisis.

Director of Pontes Helena Teran and project manager Natalia Strzyzewska visited Rome to represent our organization during 3-days «Be to Care» event. «I was inspired by new ideas raised at this conference. I learned a lot from the participants who dedicated their lives to develop the society and help people. We met new friends, who I hope in the future will collaborate with Pontes and support our new initiatives», told Natalia Strzyzewska.


Pontes Association & Esperanza Foundation Cooperation

09.09.2022

Pontes Association welcomed our friends from Esperanza Foundation - Isabel Hernandez, the director of foundation and project manager, and Inmaculada Sanchez, volunteer, who came from Spain to help Ukrainian refugees. Pontes and Esperanza Foundation had good time exchanging experience, helping Ukrainians and looking for opportunities of future cooperation and projects.

As a part of our cooperation, we visited a house where Ukrainian families live, talked with them and played with children. One of the refugees Svetlana had a birthday and we were happy to celebrate it with her. The moment of fun talk, tasty food and song sining was needed to rest for some time from their worries and struggles of war. We were glad to share this moment with them.

20.08.2022
"I am grateful that Poles think about our mental health and well-being!

Listen the psychiatrist and animator reflecting on their work on the project Summer Camp 'Стійка мама & підліток'  implemented by Pontes!

Organizacja “wakacyjnych warsztatów edukacyjnych
dla uchodźców ukraińskich przebywających na terytorium RP” korzysta z dofinansowania o wartości 38 900 EUR otrzymanego od Islandii, Liechtensteinu i Norwegii w ramach Funduszy EOG i Funduszy Norweskich. Celem projektu psychoedukacyjnego “Стійка мама і підліток” jest wsparcie i wzmocnienie psychiczne uchodźczyń z Ukrainy - matek i ich nastoletnich córek.

Summer Camp: Psychoeducational Workshop for  Mothers & Daughters from Ukraine

17.07.2022

On 12 July our summer psychoeducational camp for mothers with daughters from Ukraine came to an end. The group was fantastic! They integrated quickly and were very eager to work hard during the workshops. We will share their reflections soon!

The Safe Stopover: Zakopane

07.04.2022

From the 4th to the 6th of April we were visiting four tourist villas in Zakopane, where about 50 refugees from Ukraine have found a peaceful and decent shelter. Kind hosts dedicated their cosy guest houses to the families which were able to recover from a first shock and form a small, supportive community.

All individual matters  of refugees are being solved by Ms. Weronika, who herself has let her own guest house. In addition, she takes care of communication and management of community life.

We got to know the needs and expectations of the families. We were accompanied by Ms. Irean - a psychiatrist, who herself had left Ukraine. She carried out consultations with those who asked for it. Two journalists came with us to collect the testimonies of women who were willing to share their stories. Some mothers made a huge impression on us with their heroic and warm-hearted attitude! Fortunately, their families reached Zakopane in the first days of the war, so they were able to protect their children from the dramatic scenes. We were happy to see the little ones playing in the snow!

06.04.2022
Interview for Polish Radio - Polish activist on helping refugees: As a nation we need to move over on the bench of life to give a space for Ukrainians

Polish Radio published an interview with Natalia, the project coordinator, who talked about our involvement in helping refugees. The interview was published on the Ukrainian and Russian tabs. We encourage you to listen or read it!

Ukrainian: Польська активістка про допомогу біженцям: Ми як народ маємо зараз посунутися на лавці життя і дати місце українцям

Russian: Польская активистка о помощи беженцам: Мы как народ должны сейчас подвинуться на скамейк
 

School of Polish has started!

On 19 March we started our Polish classes for women from Ukraine. Subsequent meetings take place every Saturday. Our classes are run by a volunteer - Ilona. She herself comes from Ukraine and since the first days of the war, she wanted to get involved in the actions supporting refugees. Thanks to her linguistic competence and knowledge of Polish, Ukrainian and Russian communication with the participants is smooth. We could not have found a better person! The group of women willing to learn is still growing. After Easter, we plan to set up another one! We encourage you to invite people who might be interested. They can sign up through our website, in the Ukrainian tab.

Our classes take place in Miejsce z Widokiem - a beautiful and cosy apartment located in the Stara Ochota!


PONS UK-UKRAINE - the humanitarian aid bridge for refugees and Ukraine
Since the beginning of March 2022. Pontes, in collaboration with organizations from Poland and the UK, had been snding humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees in Poland and coordinating of deliveries to Ukraine.
We are thankful to all donors and those involved in all forms of support! Your generosity is amazing! A special thanks goes to Wonder Foundation and Olivia (Director of Programs and Policy), who always accompanies us.

  • Learn more about who organized the transports and where each one arrived:

  1. Szczecin - We directed 3 lorries with aid to Szczecin, where Magdalena Kowalska, who cooperates with us, received the goods and took care of local distribution. One of the recipients was the Caritas Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamieński. Three transports to Szczecin were given to the local Ukrainian community. Some of the aid was additionally sent to Lviv. (pic. 1)

  2. Katowice and Zhytomyr - Through the Wonder Foundation, we have made contact with a company from Newport (Shropshire) - PDM. Thanks to their generosity and commitment to support the Ukrainians, we were able to send one transport with humanitarian aid to Katowice. The transport was received by the TDJ Foundation. The funds were donated to locally hosted refugees. (pic. 4,5)

  3. Kharkiv and... Kharkiv again! - We also had a wonderful collaboration with HSM GLOBAL. We gave their contact to Stowarzyszenie Lokalnych Ośrodków Twórczych. Organisation had established structures and created the initiative MOST POMOCY UKRAINIE to send supplies to Ukraine. Thanks to efficient communication between SLOT, us and TDJ, we managed to deliver two transports with food, medicines and hygiene products to Kharkiv, which suffers a lot due to regular bombing. (pic. 2,3)
    We encourage you to watch the video, to see the condition of the city and its inhabitants.

Przede wszystkim - wyjątkowi ludzie!  Panel Being&Belonging w Londynie

08.11.2021

Listopadowy Londyn jest dość wietrzny, ale to nie przeszkodziło nam i grupie aktywnych studentek pojawić się na konferencji Invisible Minorities, Building Communities, organizowanej przez Wonder Foundation. Wydarzenie skupiało osoby z organizacji pozarządowych, badaczy akademickich i innych, zainteresowanych tematem migracji Polaków i Łotyszy do Wielkiej Brytanii. Projekt B&B ma na celu podjęcie refleksji wokół pojęć tożsamości i przynależności.
Zachęcając znawców tematu z różnych krajów do dyskusji, Wonder wspólnie z organizacjami partnerskimi dąży do stworzenia rekomendacji i dobrych praktyk, które następnie zostaną przedstawione władzom lokalnym.
Nasz zespół (w którego skład wchodziła studentka psychologii Zuzanna, studentka SEW i sinologii Martyna oraz studentka stosunków międzynarodowych - Agnieszka) zainspirowali przede wszystkim goście wydarzenia, zarówno paneliści, jak i słuchacze! Poznałyśmy min. przedstawicieli KCL Polish Society oraz Ambasady RP Polskiej!
09.10.2021

The October panel discussion for teenage girls

Recently, we held a panel discussion entitled “Young women and the contemporary labour market”. For us it was a long-awaited event, because we had great special guests! Our invited panellists were Anna Stopel - Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and CSR, Olga Szanczuk M.Sc. in energy and advisor to the Ambassador of Morocco - Anna Durska-Augustynowicz. They were discussing the topics of work-life balance, designing future careers and expressing their ideas on how to choose a profession. The event was aimed at secondary school students.
Interviews for Radio Poland
21.04.2021

We invite you to listen to interviews about our Association and the Maria&Masha project. The participants also shared how they feel in Poland. Both interviews are in Russian.

Украинка об учебе в польском лицее: «Я боялась насмешек одноклассников и придирок учителей, но этого не было»

Ukrainian student about polish high school: I was afraid of bullying of colleagues and discrimination from teachers, but I didn't experience that.

The third sector: The Maria&Masha Project - mentoring for foreign students in Warsaw

Stowarzyszenie Wspierania Rozwoju Kompetencji, Mikołaja Reja 4, 02-053 Warszawa