From July 2022 to 31 December 2023, the Solidarity Fund PL implemented the Programme of Support for Ukrainian Children and Women in the Context of the War in Ukraine. The programme was the result of close cooperation between Polish and Ukrainian government agencies. It was initiated and donated by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. Assistance for children and women was provided within the framework of the specially established Blessed Martyr Klymentiy Sheptytsky Foundation and was funded by the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.
Blessed Martyr Klymentiy Sheptytsky was a Polish count, Ukrainian monk-student, Righteous Among the Nations, and a clergyman who perished at the hands of the Soviet regime. Father Klymentiy devoted himself to Christian service, and caring for orphans during the First World War was one of his priorities. This remarkable personality, considered a symbol of Polish-Ukrainian unity, became the patron saint of the Foundation.
In 2022-2023, the Blessed Clement Sheptytsky Foundation provided financial support to 2044 children under the age of 18 whose both parents or one of them died as a result of the war in Ukraine. Financial assistance was also provided to 218 women who were held in Russian captivity and released as part of official exchanges. A recreational and rehabilitation trip to Poland was organised for 49 women. In addition, 24 women received psychological counselling in 2022.
We also organised 4 exhibitions “Ukraine. Tears of War” with stories of children and women affected by the war. Two exhibitions were opened in Warsaw in December 2023 and two more in Kyiv. These exhibitions were designed to show the solidarity of the Polish and Ukrainian peoples, demonstrate the strength and pain of the heroes of the Clement Sheptytsky Foundation, and draw the attention of all those who care to further support those who need it most.
