The beginnings
The beginnings of the Ukrainian House date back to 2004, a key moment in building Ukrainian civil society during the Orange Revolution. In 2009, a group of activists officially registered the “Our Choice” Foundation, and since 2014, the Foundation has run the Ukrainian House in Warsaw. In the fall of 2022, the “Our Choice” Foundation changed its name to the “Ukrainian House” Foundation.
Our mission
The main goal of the Ukrainian House is to assist and support the Ukrainian community in Poland through informational, educational, and cultural activities. We support efficient and effective integration of foreigners into the Polish community while simultaneously preserving Ukrainian identity. We undertake initiatives aimed at promoting Ukrainian culture, supporting the development of educational, economic, and political ties between Poland and Ukraine. We promote democratic values and support the building of civil society awareness.
Amid escalating war in Ukraine
The activities and development of the Ukrainian House significantly accelerated after the 24th February 2022, due to the escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine. In a short period, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians arrived in Poland, requiring immediate support and assistance. The foundation expanded its activities onto a much larger scale, transforming from an organization dealing with migrant rights into a crisis center offering diverse forms of support.
Our activities
The Ukrainian House team operates a Support Center and a Meeting Center. Among the activities of the Support Center are: a consultation point, a helpline, accommodation assistance, volunteering, a case worker team and short term psychological support. We have also created a program providing a broad scope of support to Ukrainians working in Poland. In the Meeting Center, we engage in socio-cultural activities, organizing concerts, exhibitions, film screenings, debates, and meetings with authors. We run a literary club called ‘Po Sąsiedzku’ (Neighborly), an English Speaking Club, and a mutual support club called ‘Przyjaciele’ (Friends).
The foundation also runs a series of Ukrainian Women’s Clubs. Building on a model pioneered for migrant women prior to the war, these clubs provide a safe space and networks of mutual support for Ukrainian women coming to Poland.
Among educational activities, we offer Polish language courses and conversational clubs for foreigners. We also run a Saturday School and an innovative face-to-face Ukrainian school, which operates in both the Ukrainian and Polish educational systems). In addition, in the Ukrainian House we operate a Ukrainian library. The Foundation also runs a Ukrainian-Polish information portal called ‘Nasz Wybir especially dedicated to Ukrainians in Poland. The Ukrainian House also initiates expert meetings and advocacy actions aimed at increasing the effectiveness of initiatives for Ukrainian migrants in Poland. We also conduct research into the changing situation of Ukrainians in Poland, as well as developing partnerships with Ukraine. Although based in Warsaw, we also run a project to support the development of local initiatives supporting Ukrainians in towns around Mazowsza.
