The Zyvi Foundation's FreeShop Project began in September 2020. A group of volunteers opened a humanitarian aid station for political refugees from Belarus, who came to Poland because of political repression after the protests.
In the first 1.5 years of operation, before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, the foundation helped 8,000 families in about the following amount:
— 120 tons of issued humanitarian aid in the form of clothes, shoes, bedding, and utensils;
— Bicycles and furniture, household appliances and electronics were accepted and handed over.
From the first days of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, the “FreeShop” project became a virtually round-the-clock emergency relief effort. During the first year of the war, assistance was provided in roughly the following amounts:
- 16,000 applications (Warsaw).
- About 240 tons of humanitarian aid in the form of clothes, shoes, bedding, crockery, personal hygiene products and medicines;
- Providing food packages purchased with donations and received from donors from different countries of the world;
- Helping Ukrainian foundations for people who have suffered from shelling.
In the summer we were faced with the fact that the city had stopped helping a large number of humanitarian initiatives. Stopped providing premises free of charge.
We didn't want to stop helping people, so we had to rent commercial space. We have no outside funding, we are an independent foundation. And we are appealing to everyone who cares to help us pay the rent for our humanitarian warehouse.
How much is needed?
6150 € — Debt for 5 months and rent for the next 2 months.