Half a million zlotys to help war victims

We have donated 500,000 PLN to support the inhabitants of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Ukraine as a part of the “Family to Family” program organized by Caritas Polska. The donated funds will be provided to those in need as humanitarian aid in the form of cash. Once again, we are helping those facing horrors of war on a daily basis.

It’s late in the evening. In one of the houses surrounded by ruins, the child is being lulled to sleep. Dampness, a flashlight and the same book which has been read over and over again for months now. A man is gently stroking the hair of a three-year-old boy, trying to divide tousled strands of hair. His voice is breaking after a few sentences. He knows when to stop talking so as not to scare the little boy. In his eyes, you can see the last, faint flickers of something that today is a commodity in short supply — hope. Hope that is equally precious as food, water or medicines.

Clocks are useless here. The rhythm of the day is determined by warning sirens, bomb explosions and muffled sound of gunshots. Terrible screams on the streets don’t make an impression on anyone anymore - they are simply a sign of upcoming trouble, and, above all, make you more alert. You can feel constant fear and uncertainty in the air.

Life no longer feels like life. Nobody knows where he or she will sleep tomorrow, because one night can change everything.

The “Family to Family” program was initiated by Caritas Polska in 2016. Since then, Poles have donated over 130,000,000 PLN to war victims. The support is provided to those who need it the most in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

Since we wanted to contribute to this initiative as well, we have donated 500,000 PLN which will support the families from the areas affected by conflicts.

"The reports from these places are terrifying. The feeling of helplessness often goes beyond anything that we have ever experienced before. And yet, we still believe that our support, despite being just a drop in the ocean, can make a huge difference for a few families" – Julian Pawlukiewicz, the chairman of the JohnnyBros Foundation, says.

At the moment, four thousand families from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Ukraine are provided with financial help on a regular basis as a part of the program. Instead of packages with food or clothing, they receive money, so that they can decide themselves what the most urgent needs are and spend the funds to address them. Some invest in setting up a company, so that, at one point, they won’t need financial support in the form of donations from all around the world anymore.

Thanks to the initiatives like the one organized by Caritas, we can effectively change the dramatic statistics presented below:

• 96% of the population of Gaza are in danger of malnutrition,

• 5 millions of Ukrainians have had to abandon their homes.

These are unimaginable numbers, which trigger anxiety and make it impossible to stay indifferent.

"Last year, also in autumn, we supported the victims of the flood in southern Poland. This time, we send the funds abroad to help people without access to basic products" - Michał Kozłowski, the spokesman of the JohnnyBros Foundation, points out.

Supporting the “Family to Family” is not our first charity action. At the beginning of 2022, we bought four ambulances with equipment including defibrillators, respirators, oxygen tanks, stretchers and spinal boards. They were provided directly to the Ukrainian Medical Battalion.

Before that, we donated 100,000 PLN, contributing to the #TechForUkraine action organized by Just Join IT.

The “Family to Family” action is a great opportunity to help. You need only a few minutes to make a single payment or set a regular monthly bank transfers, which would provide long-term support to those in need. To do it, visit the Cartias Polandwebsite.

Each donor can select a type of assistance he or she decides to provide or choose a family from the area affected by war, humanitarian crisis or poverty that he or she wants to support. Even a tiny amount of money given from the heart can change somebody’s life and bring back hope.

Let’s help! Every contribution, even the smallest one, matters.