It’s been a year already. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is also the anniversary of establishing the ‘Radziwiłłowska 3’ or ‘R3’ Help Point (named after a street name) run by the Salam Lab. During these 365 days, thousands of Ukrainians and refugees of other nationalities passed through this place, all fleeing the brutality of war, suffering, and death
Back in 1996 a boy of Palestinian descent living in Amman was gifted a skateboard and he started skating around the city, getting into troubles with the police and pedestrians evoking the dream of a skatepark in him. His name was Mohammed Zakaria. In 2009 he founded his own skateboard brand called ‘Philadelphia’
‘We never know who the other is, just as we never really know who we are ourselves.’ – says the author of The Guest, Ariane Koch.
We are used to the fact that it is white people who save those fleeing war or persecution. It wasn’t always this way.
Ludwika Śniadecka – a Polish woman, the leading spokeswoman for the Polish independence movement, the unrequited love of Juliusz Słowacki.
A couple days ago I picked up two boys seeking to hitchhike. Okay, two young men. They are both nineteen. One of them was from the Territorial Defence Forces. He has never seen a refugee. He never participated in deportation or pushbacks. When asked “what will you do when you see a refugee family in the forest?”, he replied, “I’ll call the Border Guard”.
“We can’t go to school, university, work, nor can we play our favourite sports. We had no choice but to leave our country”. Interview with a climber from Afghanistan.
“I had heard that through Belarus I could reach the European Union. I was supposed to find there the end of suffering and the possibility of stabilisation. The decision was taken in haste and I decided to take this step, which I now regret. At present, I’m in the EU, where instead of freedom and peaceful life, there are prisons, soldiers and violence” – says Farid from Iraq. “Welcome to Guantánamo” – the refugees kept repeating. However, we are not talking about the infamous prison for people suspected of terrorist offences. We are talking about the Guarded Centers for Foreigners in Poland.
In our society when a girl is underage, she stays under the custody of her father, when she is married, she is under the custody of her husband. It means that a girl is never independent. Read a story of a young doctor from Afghanistan living in Poland.
“I am Rojin Shamo from Iraqi Kurdistan. I am a Yazidi and being a Yazidi is not easy. I’ve always wanted freedom. Europe seemed to be the solution to my problem. I arrived in Lithuania last year, on June 21st to be exact. I live in a refugee camp. My dreams of freedom in Europe ended with me living alongside complete strangers.
My name is Nasratullah Taban. Before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, I’ve been working as a journalist covering affairs in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Russia for the past six years. Now I am trying to manage my life in Poland. After all, living in Europe can be a little different than living in the countryside of Afghanistan.
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Ninety percent of all violence happens in private homes. Ukrainians escaping, mostly women and children, are especially vulnerable in a foreign country, behind locked doors. Humanitarian crises are chaotic situations. Professional organizations know these risks – but the situation attracts well-meaning voluntary helpers who act haphazardly while looking for accommodation for someone. The resulting chaos […]
In the face of tragedy facing our Ukrainian neighbours, a lot of people ask about the possibility to help. Each and every one of you can do something to help them. Here is what you can do now: Financial support You can contribute to the crowdfunding campaign organized by Salam Lab for the Ukrainians in […]
This Sunday opens the summit for A World of Neighbours network, which we are associated with. It is a noteworthy initiative, which we have already taken part in multiple times. This year’s programme for the summit consists of workshops, lectures, discussion panels, film screenings and concerts. It is a week devoted to debates and meetings […]
First of all, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Tiba Atheer Kallas. I’m 14. I’d like to start this letter by telling you about my dreams and asking you – the people of Poland and the people of Europe – to judge the crimes I’ve committed. The crimes that put my family and […]
My name is Ola Sabah Hamad. I am a mother of four children and I want to tell you my story. I come from Baghdad. Living in my homeland is very difficult, especially for families who dream of a peaceful life. I was unable to feel free there with my children, but what’s more important, […]
The story of Pfizer’s CEO raises many key questions. How many great minds like Abraham Bourla were claimed in World War II? How many inventors, discoverers, people of science gave their lives because of someone’s unjustified hatred? And finally – how many people who would change the face of the world die every day in armed conflicts in Syria, Turkey or Yemen?