In the face of an unprecedented migration wave, individuals and NGOs denounce the lack of government support and lack of long-term strategy.
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From the beginning of the war, Anna Chuba, a refugee of kyiv in Warsaw, did not have any problem to find accommodation at his friend Olga and his 10-year-old son. Thanks to its many contacts, it quickly put it in touch with Marta, a Polish who, in an impetus of spontaneous generosity and in the image of thousands of his compatriots, has put a room available to refugees. Two weeks after having welcomed them, Olga’s grand daughter had to join them. For the host, this roommate was quick to become difficult.
“After a month, Marta called me to tell me that she could not do it anymore, says Anna. She said she felt like a refugee in her own house, that the houses lived At their own pace, she had no intimacy anymore. She had to ask them to find another solution. “Warsaw and social networks are still full of housing offers, and Olga could be relocated. “It’s something human that I understand, admits Anna. It’s easy to become tired of the problems of others. Especially when these problems drags.”
“Burn-out” volunteering
Stories like this have become very common in Poland. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, on February 24, the country has seen nearly 3 million Ukrainians, of which 2 million would have remained in the country, according to estimates. Housing at the inhabitant has taken a considerable scale, even if there are no official figures. Two months after the beginning of the conflict, important signs of fatigue of this momentum of generosity are felt, both in individuals and among the representatives of civil society.
“People are exhausted”, confirms Anna Dabrowska, President of the Homo Faber Minority Assistance Organization and Coordinator of the Social Committee for Assistance to Ukraine of the City of Lublin, in the east of the country , 100 kilometers from the border. On the front line for two months, she manages a team of 300 people, including 230 volunteers. “I already feel symptoms of” burnout “of volunteering. Empathy fatigues. She uses psychologically. Our volunteers benefit from psychological support. It is all the more informing as, without them, the whole system collapses . “
Experienced activist, Anna Dabrowska does not deplete. According to her, the National Polish Conservative Government harvests, on a European scale, “Lauriers he does not deserve”, while all the weight of refugee assistance is based on the shoulders of individuals, civil society and Local authorities, which do not benefit from the central authorities. NGOs are abandoned to their fate, funded by private donations or municipalities. “The problem is that volunteering should be an element of the help system. Or, in Poland, it is the system alone. This situation is untenable.”
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