Ukrainian refugees in Poland will receive assistance thanks to a charity fundraiser
16 May 12:14
A fundraising campaign has been launched in Poland for Ukrainians who have lost access to free medical care following the passage of a new law. The campaign was announced by the “Polish Migration Forum” foundation and the publication OKO.press on the Pomagam.pl platform. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Warszawalife.
According to media reports, the initial goal was to raise 100,000 zlotys, but within the first 24 hours, people donated over 700,000. After that, the organizers raised the target to 1.5 million. You can make a donation here: pomagam.pl/kphc97.
On March 5, a law came into effect in Poland that revoked some benefits for Ukrainians. Now, unemployed Ukrainian citizens are not entitled to free medical care—they have been treated the same as other unemployed foreigners. According to Agnieszka Kosowicz, the head of the foundation, several thousand people have found themselves in a critical situation.
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Many of those affected are elderly people and those with cancer. Kosowicz said that Ukrainians who came to the hospital for their next round of chemotherapy and learned that they were no longer eligible for treatment have reached out to the foundation. Single mothers with three or more children are also at risk—they are no longer considered a vulnerable group and have been deprived of state housing assistance.
Agnieszka Kosowicz—an expert on migration and long-time head of the Polish Migration Forum— believes that the authors of the law did not envision how the new rules would work in practice. In her words, such measures are simply inhumane. She hopes this is a mistake, not a deliberate policy.
Sister Małgorzata Chmielewska, who leads the Catholic community “Bread of Life,” also commented on the situation. About 250 people live in the community’s nine shelters, nearly 40 of whom are elderly, sick, or disabled. All of them have lost support from the Polish state. Chmielewska called the government’s decision scandalous and political.
As a reminder, between 2024 and 2025, the Polish government gradually scaled back the support programs introduced at the start of the full-scale invasion. The latest legislative changes affected living conditions in collective accommodation centers and access to social benefits, which was felt particularly acutely by the elderly, people with disabilities, and low-income refugees.
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