SAN Charity

Continuing to help those in need
A year has passed since the war in Ukraine began. Since then, Students from the Warsaw Dormitory have been continuously helping those in need. We recently mentioned cooking together and organising creative activities for children. This time, the Students decided to support a lonely refugee from Ukraine, 85-year-old Zoya. The Dorm Activity Room was transformed into an art studio, where pictures were painted at a large table. Grandma Zoya is a reclining person and sometimes feels lonely. At the end of last week, a three-strong delegation of Students decided to visit the woman to give her the artwork they had prepared and to say a few warm words.

Fat Thursday at the UoSS dormitory
Yesterday at the Warsaw dormitory, the Student-Activists together with Marina Hulia, UoSS's Intercultural Coordinator, celebrated Fat Thursday with a meeting. They met not only to eat doughnuts, but also to take stock of their charity work and to talk about future endeavours. After all, the students regularly cook for the elderly from a nursing home, run art classes and cook for Ukrainian children evacuated from Odessa, and support people without homes. A nice surprise for them was a gift from Yope, which they received as a thank you for their commitment and good heart.

Cooking together for the residents of a retirement home
Another joint cooking event took place in January 2023, all for the residents of a retirement home. This time, in addition to the students of the University of Social Sciences, Ms Hanna Machińska, honoured with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland, deputy Ombudsman for Civil Rights Protection, and Mr Andrzej Stefański, director of the Ombudsman's office, joined in the cooking. The meeting was a beautiful gesture of mutual integration and assistance.

Christmas at the UoSS dormitory
On 21 December 2022, Christmas came to the Warsaw dormitory at 6 Ciołka St. The meeting, jointly organised with the Intercultural Coordinator of the Warsaw Branch of UoSS, Ms Marina Hulia, was a beautiful event for the foreign students, most of them from war-torn Ukraine. The students experienced home, warmth and the peaceful spirit of Christmas. Carols sounded, Christmas Eve dishes were served and the spirit of Christmas was felt. "A Polish Christmas Eve in full class" - concluded Director Lukasz Parkasiewicz with a smile

Family cooking
In December, a meeting attended by the Students of the University of Social Sciences and Lukasz Parkasiewicz - Administrative Director of SAN in Warsaw took place. The family cooking took place at the friendly Little Chef studio in Warsaw, and was a beautiful and memorable meeting for 32 lonely and abandoned grandmothers. A particularly memorable quote for the participants of the event was: "It's not time to die," smiled Grandma Halinka. - As long as you remember us, we will live".

Meeting at the Little Chef cooking school
In November 2022, a meeting was held at the Little Chef cooking school in Warsaw's Mokotów district. The event was attended by students of the University of Social Sciences as well as the administrative director Mr Łukasz Parkasiewicz. Thanks to the provision of space and cooking products, warm, home-cooked meals were created for Ukrainian orphans. The meeting was also attended by Bergiej Orynbassar and Lom Ali, a disabled boy from Chechnya, who danced the lezginka with his beloved mother Zhovret, joyfully and in Caucasian, during the meeting. The meeting passed in a pleasant atmosphere and the participants showed how important it is to help and support another human being.

In an effort to educate young students on such an important and topical issue as helping your fellow man, a lecture was held at our University in June by Marina Hulia entitled. "On wise helping: volunteering for people in need".

In October, on the occasion of 'Halloween', we organised a meeting with children and families from Chechnya. The event was held at the SAN dormitory. The participants were in good spirits. We danced together and taught the youngest citizens of Chechnya through play. Thanks to the event, we helped the families find their way in our country.

Recently at the SAN dormitory, we took another initiative and created an art studio where our students created, using crepe paper and coloured paper, colourful works. The whole event was aimed at enriching the time of Ukrainian orphans who were evacuated from Odessa and found their temporary home, in a hotel near Warsaw. Our volunteers tried to support the Ukrainian children as much as possible and help with the art workshops organised for them.

On the occasion of the Easter holidays on 21.04.2022, we organised a festive dinner for international students at the Dormitory of the Social Academy of Sciences. The event was attended by the Director of the Ombudsman's Office, Mr Andrzej Stefański. Traditional dishes of Ukrainian cuisine were served on the table.

Participants could also listen to a concert by saxophonist Nikita from Belarus, and the festive atmosphere could already be felt during the preparations. The event was organised to show support for refugees from Ukraine, for whom Easter is a very important holiday. The students felt a sense of unity, even though they were not at the same table with their family members.

Another event in which our students participated was held in Opole. Together with young activists, we created a hate-free zone. Our goal was to show that it is worth building ties between different nationalities, even if we come from different countries. SAN students excelled in showing unity, while emphasizing how important and better the world is without national divisions.

Seeing how important it is to help, already on March 6, 2022, in Lara Gessler's studio, students of the University of Social Sciences together with Moms from Brest Station prepared meals for refugees from Ukraine. As a university, we wanted to show support for those fleeing war zones. They were able to eat hot meals prepared by the students and talk to our students.

On the first day of the war in Ukraine, 24.02.2022, our students, together with Marina Hulia, took part in the Freedom Concert. The event aimed to unite with the Ukrainian people and show as much support as possible in this difficult time for them.

As the University of Social Sciences, we are involved in many initiatives to draw attention to the geopolitical situation of our country as well as the world. Since February 2022, we are all focused on the problem that is the war in Ukraine. From the very beginning of the conflict across the eastern border, citizens of our country have been involved in aid initiatives for those fleeing the country of aggression.

The community of our University, is also actively involved in organizing projects, cooperating with institutions and individuals for whom human rights and security are fundamental values. We are open to the other person, regardless of country of origin or other cultural barriers, so we build a space free of intolerance and division. We create a place for dialogue and enable students to exchange their views and shape the character of those studying with us. Students at our university take an active part in various volunteers and organizations that support people in need.

In cooperation with Marina Hulia, intercultural coordinator at the University of Social Sciences, students and faculty take an active part in various events aimed at helping refugees and providing ongoing support during difficult times for them. Most of these events are shared and reported on Facebook.