- DTCare in Poland | Humanitarian Aid -

 Aid for Refugees in Poland

Humanitarian Support for Refugees in Poland

From February 2022, DTCare joined forces with the ZHP (Polish Scouting and Guiding Association) to distribute critically needed supplies to Ukrainian refugees in Poland. The conflict in Ukraine gave rise to the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. Poland faced an influx of Ukrainian refugees within days of Russia's first attack. To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 1,553,707 million refugees in the country. We focused our initial emergency response efforts in Poland to aid with the refugee crisis that unfolded rapidly. DTCare launched the first stage of our Ukrainian Crisis Response Campaign in partnership with the ZHP—they already had an extensive distribution network established to transport critically needed supplies throughout Poland.

The ZHP quickly became a cornerstone in our efforts to transport supplies over the Polish-Ukrainian border to aid Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and towns near the frontline lacking access to essential services and supplies. Over the course of one year, DTCare has sent 15 of 23 humanitarian relief shipments to aid Ukrainians in partnership with the ZHP, and our efforts in Poland did not end there. The ZHP scouts donated a bulk of their supplies to help Ukrainian refugees, and as camping season approached needed camping gear and art supplies. DTCare actively began collecting art supplies for scout-led art therapy camps that provided psychological support for Ukrainian children and youth.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 1,553,707 million Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

DTCare’s Partnership with the ZHP Scouts

The story of how DTCare's collaboration with the ZHP began is an interesting one: Though we were eager to support Ukrainians as the crisis escalated, DTCare needed an established network in Ukraine or Poland that would have enabled us to distribute much-needed supplies to Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons. In our search for organizations with the bandwidth required to receive and distribute supplies in Poland and Ukraine, a post popped up on our social media that included the ZHP's direct contact information. We connected with the ZHP, and the rest is history. DTCare and the ZHP's collective resources and network effectively deliver thousands of supplies to refugees in Poland and some of the most vulnerable communities in Ukraine.

DTCare's primary mission is to provide essential aid and support structures in one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises. We do that by collecting and sending cargoes of supplies to our partners in Poland and Ukraine, as well as establishing critical mental health networks and therapy networks to aid Ukrainians through trauma resulting from the war. Not only with humanitarian aid distribution and understanding essential needs across Ukraine and Poland, which includes 24 aid shipments in 2022 alone, 4 of them being 40 ft ocean containers, but also with the development and cooperation with some of our most successful campaigns for Ukraine. At the start of our partnership, ZHP and DTCare teamed up to run multiple summer art therapy camps for Ukrainian refugee children to help them process all that they have been through. It was a major success and became a catalyst for some of the current ongoing programs we are implementing today. In addition to this, ZHP was a huge help in receiving and distributing DTCare’s “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland” campaign, where we collected over 1,500 pairs of new children’s winter boots and gift boxes for refugee children in Ukraine to celebrate the winter holidays. ZHP's focus on mental health and well-being is one of the biggest reasons that their partnership with DTCare is so invaluable for us. ZHP is a kindness-lead organization that is helping DTCare to fight the awful outcomes of this war.

About the ZHP

Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego (ZHP) is the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association for all Polish girl and boy scout troops. The ZHP aims to educate children and youth by supporting their development and character formation by posing challenges. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, the ZHP has offered support for Ukrainians in three main areas: aid distribution, border safety and first aid assistance, and opportunities for Ukrainian refugee children and their families to socialize and connect with Polish communities. The ZHP advocates for families that need shelter, food, mental health support, and community. The ZHP's focus on mental health and well-being encouraged us to work with them, and their extensive network of warehouses, distribution points, and esteemed reputation are integral to ensuring that assistance reaches those most impacted by the conflict. Since the start of the war, the ZHP has advocated for Ukrainian families seeking refuge in Poland in need of shelter, food, psychological support, and help to adapt to a new community. To learn more about the incredible work the ZHP is doing to support children and youth, visit www.zhp.pl/en.

Our Humanitarian Response Efforts in Poland

DTCare's primary mission in Europe is to provide essential aid and support structures in one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises. We do that by collecting and sending cargoes of supplies to our partners in Poland and Ukraine, as well as establishing critical mental health networks and therapy networks to aid Ukrainians through trauma resulting from the war. At the onset of our partnership, ZHP and DTCare ran multiple summer art therapy camps for Ukrainian refugee children to provide essential tools that aid in understanding and processing trauma. The success of the therapy camps catalyzed DTCare's running art therapy program in Ukraine. Notably, the ZHP was also essential in receiving and distributing 1,5000 pairs of new children's shoes that DTCare collected through our “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland” drive.