The war in Ukraine has left many people without shelter, food or sense of security. Especially the elderly are in a tragic predicament. That is why a joined project by Kulczyk Foundation, Grupa Onet.pl and Polish Rotary International clubs is aimed at delivering food parcels purchased thanks to kindness of many Poles to pensioners from the Donetsk district. They account for 70% of the so-called internally displaced persons, i.e. those who left their homes but stayed in the territory of Ukraine. Their number amounts to almost 350 thousand, most of whom have been deprived of their homes and means of subsistence!
"In this campaign we are fighting for the survival and dignity of the elderly. After all, they should be treasured by each community. In reality however, the elderly in the places we have been visiting have no food and no hope for a better future, living in basements of houses ruined by the war. Let us take care of them, helping our neighbors from Ukraine save what is most precious to them. Undoubtedly, a difficult history is the thing of the past, and not of the future. People we encounter there are exactly like us: they are people whom we can support" says Dominika Kulczyk, President of Kulczyk Foundation.
A food parcel for one elderly person costs PLN 25. And it can genuinely save them, helping them to survive another two weeks without the risk of hunger. Time is short, the winter is coming. And the situation in eastern Ukraine is dramatic. In the districts of Lugansk and Donetsk almost 1.8 million people need food. Another problem is the fact that many hospitals have been destroyed and there is a shortage of medical personnel. Altogether, the number of people who need instant help can reach up to 4.5 million people and is growing each day. Therefore even basic supports will count, that is nutritious food. Given this difficult situation, we wholeheartedly ask you, on behalf of those elderly people, to donate so that we can provide them with food parcels. The contents of each parcel are in line with the guidelines of the United Nations.
Established in 1996, Grupa Onet.pl is one of the most recognizable media companies in Poland. It owns several popular on-line platforms and services, including Onet.pl, that is the largest web portal in Poland as well as video platforms Onet.tv and VoD.pl. In 2012 Grupa Onet.pl became part of Ringier Axel Springer Media AG. Together with Ringer Axel Springer Polska, Onet.pl are members of Grupa Onet-RASP, the platforms of which are visited by 18 million users each month (source: Megapanel PBI/Gemius, January 2015). Grupa Onet-RASP includes not only Onet brands, but also such periodicals as "Fakt", "Newsweek", "Przegląd Sportowy", "Forbes", "Auto Świat", and "Komputer Świat". Grupa Onet-RASP also has the largest Polish video platform online, and its content is viewed over 120 million times a month.
Rotary International is one of the oldest international service organizations in the world. For over 110 years, its clubs spread all over the world meet up to act for the benefit of local communities, promoting service, professional ethics, peace and cooperation. It has 1.2 million members and 34.500 clubs worldwide. The flagship program run by the organization in the last 30 years is aimed at combating the virus of polio. Prior to the Second World War there had already operated 9 rotary clubs in Poland. The organization returned after 50 years following the democratic transition. At the moment there are 74 clubs with 1,700 members. The present District 2230 includes Belarus, Poland and Ukraine and has in total 122 clubs with 2,500 rotarians.