Russia’ UkraineTwo years after ’'s large-scale invasion of , how are millions of Ukrainian women and children adjusting to life in their new host country? Are they getting the support they need?
Access to childcare is a crucial step in the integration process. In this latest episode of Real Economy’, Euronews correspondent Fanny Gauret traveled to ’, Poland, to hear the words of the women who supported and benefited from these childcare facilities.
Learning a new language, looking for a job or recognizing their qualifications are just some of the challenges Ukrainian refugees face when trying to rebuild their lives elsewhere.
Ukrainian conscription laws prevent men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country; Therefore, women who run away with their families are often the sole caregivers of young children, making it almost impossible to find a job without childcare in host countries.
the Comenius Foundation2000Founded in the early years of ’ to provide better conditions for children in their first year, the company has 37 kindergartens in Warsaw’.
Not just these’ The spynkas are‘ created safe spaces for refugee children to learn and play, and also gave Ukrainian mothers time to find work in ’, Poland.
Child psychologist Maria Odinets Euronews’e said: “When we came here, my child barely spoke due to stress, but I see changes in my youngest son, he started talking and communicating with other children for the first time… made friends here; You can say you're happy. - ”
Odinets, together with his wife and three children, fled Ukraine ’ six months ago and hopes that his diploma will soon be recognized in Poland ’ in order to find a job.
“This helps me because I now have free time between 09:00 and 15:00. During this time, I can learn Polish, look for work, or help my older children and pick them up from school, ” added.
Monika Woźniak, director of the Comenius Foundation, told Euronews’e that support is vital: “A very large percentage of our children experience trauma, so our attention needed to be strongly focused on helping children who couldn't and couldn't cope in normal primary schools and kindergartens.”
Monika wants to open more nurseries and register them in the official education system.
Woźniak, “We hope to launch EU-funded programs that will help integrate Ukrainian children and their parents into the Polish early education system. We are talking about children who, if they have a good foundation, will eventually begin to live well, ” explained.
This ‘spynka is funded by the ’s UNICEFThey also receive support from the Polish government and some European funds.
Most of the staff working in these centers are Ukrainian refugees, such as Yuliana.
When former decorator Euronews’e first arrived, she said she had trouble finding a job that would give her time to pick up her children after kindergarten or school and take care of them at night. Today this ‘spynka works as an educator in one of the ’s and says that the most important thing she can do is work.
“If it wasn't for this job, I don't know… I could have been a cleaner at first, then maybe I could have found something else … but this spynka really helped me adapt” said.
What other support is being offered to Ukrainian women and children?
To date, almost two-thirds of Ukrainian refugees have found work in ’, Poland, according to government figures.
By the way, the European Social Fund Plus(ESF+) has allocated €8.9 billion to tackle child poverty in AB’. Some of this money can be used to fund and increase the number of official ‘spynka’s, as well as improve the quality of places in kindergartens.
Ewa FlaszynskaThe head of ’'s labor market department, the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, said more Ukrainian women had found time to look for work as the number of children given to a single educator increased.
Almost 70 percent of Polish women are “i active, and statistics show that Ukrainian women who join us are also active in the labor market, ’ said.
While some Ukrainian women have already returned or hope to return in the near future, the expansion of childcare services has proven to play a key role for Ukrainian refugee families trying to find stability abroad.
Click on the video in the media player above to watch Fanny’'s full report.
