The Warsaw Family Support Centre will be receiving applications for granting flats to refugees or persons under subsidiary protection. Persons granted the refugee status or under subsidiary protection who are interested in renting a communal flat being part of the resources of the capital city of Warsaw* are welcome to submit their applications for the year 2012. Particular flats given at disposal of the group of persons in question will be chosen with regard to the structure of the foreigner’s family, qualified for renting the flat, and with regard to their specific, justified needs (e.g. age, disability). The Warsaw Family Support Centre will select, based on the applications of the interested persons, 5 families/ persons who will be allowed to rent communal flats.

Who may seek being granted a flat?  

• refugees or persons under subsidiary protection,
• persons who completed the implementation of an individual integration programme in the area of the capital city of Warsaw in accordance with the act on social assistance,
• persons who reside in the territory of the capital city of Warsaw,
• persons who are in a difficult housing and financial situation,
• persons whose needs and current situation will be recognized during a community interview conducted by a social worker from the Warsaw Family Support Centre or a social assistance centre,
• persons who will submit an application for concluding an agreement on renting a flat being part of the resources of the capital city of Warsaw and required documents at the Warsaw Family Support Centre within a deadline,
• persons who do not owe a legal title in form of proprietorship or joint proprietorship of a flat in the territory of the Republic of Poland.

Where and how to submit applications:
1. Applications should be submitted at the secretary’s office of the Warsaw Family Support Centre at 2 Lipińska Street in Warsaw from 24 Spetember 2012 until 17 October 2012 not later than 4 p.m. (in case of sending an application via post the date of a postmark is taken into consideration).

2. Applications should be submitted with the use of the questionnaire available at the Warsaw Family Support Centre at 2 Lipińska Street, via the website of the Warsaw Family Support Centre www.wcpr.pl (in: Advertisements/ Current) and in social assistance centres in the territory of the capital city of Warsaw:

• Foundation for Somalia, 26/19 Chmielna Street in Warsaw,
• Polish Humanitarian Action, 5/18 Szpitalna Street in Warsaw,
• Centrum Edukacji Zagranicznej, 62 Krakowskie Przedmieście Street in Warsaw,
• Fundacja Nauki Języków Obcych Linguae Mundi, 34 Krzywickiego Street in Warsaw,
• Fundacja „Ocalenie”, 9/21 Ordynacka Street in Warsaw,
• Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej, 12/510 Al. 3 Maja Street in Warsaw,
• Caritas Polska, 9 Skwer Wyszyńskiego Street in Warsaw,
• Ośrodek Interwencji Kryzysowej, 1/6 6 Sierpnia Street in Warsaw,
• Ośrodek Interwencji Kryzysowej, 1 Dalibora Street in Warsaw.

Submitting an application equals giving consent to conducting a community interview by a social worker of the Warsaw Family Support Centre in the place of residence of the foreigner.

Required documents:

1. Application completed in Polish.
2. Copies of residence cards of the Petitioner and their family members.
3. Copies of decisions on granting the refugee status or subsidiary protection to the foreigner or their family members.
4. Statement on the petitioner’s and their spouse’s housing situation (in accordance with the model attached to the application questionnaire).
5. Recommendations from non-governmental organizations acting for the benefit of foreigners. Other documents – confirming the current situation of the petitioner and their family.

The situation of the Petitioners will be estimated by a committee based on the set of required documents and community interview conducted by a social worker.

Criteria:
Formal:
Submitting an application within the deadline
Submitting all the required documents

Content-related:
The committee takes into consideration the general situation of particular Petitioners based on the following criteria:
- family situation
- housing situation
- health situation
- financial situation
with particular regard to the length of stay in the territory of Poland and activities aimed at integration.

Petitioners seeking the rental of flats will be informed via post about the decisions of the committee, consisting of the representatives of the Warsaw Family Support Centre, Biuro Pomocy i Projektów Społecznych, Biuro Polityki Lokalowej – The Office of the capital city of Warsaw and non-governmental organizations acting for the benefit of foreigners, within 10 days from the date of the committee’s meeting.

Download the application >>>

* The Warsaw Family Support Centre informs that from 28 August 2009 Act No LVIII1751//2009 of the Council of the Capital City of Warsaw on the principles of renting flats being part of the resources of the capital city of Warsaw of 9 July 2009 is in force (Journal of Laws no 104, item 2968) with amendments resulting from the act No XVII/353/2011 of 16 June 2011. According to § 5 item 1 point 5 of the abovementioned act the flats being part of the resources of the capital city of Warsaw are rented to persons with the refugee status. The Warsaw Family Support Centre is allowed to select, based on applications submitted by the interested persons, 5 families/persons a year to rent a communal flat.

We would like to inform you that another project within the “Youth in Action” programme has been implemented. The youth from Holland, Poland, Sweden and Great Britain participated in the project “Design” that took place on 10-17 July in Warsaw.

The aim of the project was to activate youth from different European Union countries to participate in culture, art and citizen life; pay attention to problems of the current world such as racism, islamophobia, discrimination because of social beliefs or faith; promote the idea of tolerance and respect for others.

The participants took part in workshops aimed at presenting the subject of ecology in the current design and in artistic workshops with the use of recycled materials. They had a possibility to design logos, eco-shirts and sculptures, as well as visit the Coperincus museum – a museum of the newest technologies and strike up intercultural friendships.

We would like to thank all the participants for their involvement and great fun!

Internally displaced Somali people stand in a queue waiting to be served with cooked food in Hodan district south of capital Mogadishu. File photo.
Image by: FEISAL OMAR / REUTERS

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Around 2.1 million Somalis still need food aid and are facing a critical situation despite a fall in the number of people at risk in the last six months, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

“The number of people in crisis in Somalia has reduced by around 16% over the past six months, from 2.5 million to 2.1 million,” Jens Laerke of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told reporters.

In 2011, famine in the country caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and affected more than four million people, or more than half of the population, according to the UN agency’s figures.

Despite “sustained humanitarian assistance over the last year” and improved food stocks linked to an exceptional January harvest, Laerke nonetheless said he expected the situation to deteriorate because of a poor harvest after the April to June rains.

“Overall, despite the recent improvements, the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains critical and must remain on the global agenda to avoid the risk of reversing the gains made,” he added.

Action for the remainder of this year includes rebuilding the livelihoods of those affected by famine in the past and providing them with the means to withstand future shortages, Laerke said.

Source: http://hiiraan.com

On 10 September in the Federal Republic of Somalia a presidential election took place. Members of the international community defined this event as a key step towards the transformation of a war-torn state into a country with an efficient central government.

Since 1969 Somalia was ruled by a dictator Muhammad Siad Barre. The political situation of the country was stable until 1991 when civil war initiated by an overthrow of the Somali dictator broke out. Since then there has been no central government and administration in the country, whereas rule was held by gangsters and clans. This situation resulted in an intervention of the UN in 1995. However, it did not yield the expected results. The country has remained at war.

On Monday, 10 September presidential election took place which constitutes the last phase of a process supported by the UN consisting in stopping civil war in Somalia and creating a new stable government.

The new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is a professor and activist who worked for some national and international development and peace organizations, e.g. Unicef. In 2011 he started the Peace and Development Party (PDP).

The election of a new president is an extremely important event for the Somalis. Also the Somali community in Warsaw gathered in the Foundation for Somalia to watch the transmission of presidential election online. The event arouses positive emotions among the Somalis, as it is the first democratic election in Somalia since 40 years. Both young people and elders met in the foundation to spend these moments together.

The only Somali woman in Poland, Asli Hassan Ali, about the election: “I am really glad that there are elections. I am happy that women can participate. In parliament there are several women who also decide about the future of Somalia”.

Mohamed Gerwin (the eldest Somali man in Poland): “In 1964 I voted the first and the last time. Nowadays, elections are different than in the past. In the past people used to vote, whereas now the parliament decides with the majority of votes. It is better when people choose their president, not the members of parliament. I hope that this election will contribute to the improvement of the situation in the country. We are happy that finally after 40 years there are elections. It is the first step towards democracy”.

Elmi Abdi (the president of the Somali Association in Poland): “For me this election – after so many years of war and chaos – means the beginning of stability in the country. After several years of living in Poland I make comparisons of Somalia and Poland every day – together with other Somalis we want Somalia to become as economically stable, secure and continuously developing as Poland. I dream about the possibility of taking my family to Somalia in order to show them where my roots are”.

Abdulcadir Gabeire Farah (the president of the Foundation for Somalia): “After 20 years of civil war and statelessness finally a new era begins in which Somalis have to build a state that had been lost during all those years. They have to create a state of law and order. Somalis have dreamt about peace for 20 years. I hope that new authorities will help Somalia return into international arena as a sovereign state”.

3rd SIETAR Polska Congress “Migrations, mobility, interculture” will take place soon. SIETAR is an intercultural association of professionals acting in various areas of intercultrue and supporting activities aimed at acceptance and intercultural respect as a way of maintaining world peace.

We achieve our aims by increasing awareness of intercultural issues in business, education and politics, as well as supporting intercultural communication as a way of reaching an agreement. We also conduct numerous practical activities aimed at establishing standards of international education, research and training.

The aim of the congress is to reflect on challenges and new difficulties against increasing mobility and cultural diversity in Poland, increasing awareness indispensable for the development of international communication, as well as exchange of opinions and experiences. The issues will be presented both from the theoretical and practical point of view.

SIETAR Congress is an open meeting of a scientific and cultural character which enables the representatives of scientific and social environments to exchange ideas and experiences and creates an opportunity for the representatives of various scientific institutions, non-governmental organizations, enthusiasts and persons interested in the phenomena of migration and interculture, to enter into collaboration. Representatives of various scientific disciplines such as sociologists, psychologists, educators, political scientists, politicians and others declared their participation in the congress.

Programme of the Congress >>>
Participation questionnaire>>>
Where>>>

More information: www.sietar.pl

The Foundation for Somalia with its local partner PENHA (Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa/ Somaliland) are implementing a project aimed at local farmers in the Togdheer region. The project is implemented due to grants from the Polish Developmental Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Poland programme 2012.

Title: Sustainable development of fodder value chain in Togdheer in Somaliland.
Time: 03.2012 – 12.2o12
Location: Xaxi and Qalacaato in Oodweyne region, Somalia.

The aim of the project is to contribute to socio-economic and environmental wellbeing of agro-pastoral communities in two villages of Oodweyne district and complement the current PENHA/ILO project. The general goal of the project is to contribute to peace, stability and socio-economic development (early recovery) in Somaliland.

Description of needs: Most households in Somalia use a small range of low-value products coming from primary production, in particular connected with livestock breeding and grain cultivation. Unless improvements within their business environment, as well as within the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises and companies cooperating with these sectors are introduced, there is a risk that Somalia offering low-value and low-quality products and services (and employing unqualified workers) will not have a significant share in the value added in domestic and foreign trade. As a result, there will be no perspectives of broad economic development which could create possibilities of employment for many people, in particular for youth, and contribute to peace and security in Somalia and its development. What is more, there is a need to direct efforts towards the improvement of private sector which produces low-value products, as well as public sector which is not able to control exploitation and favoring market growth, which as a result decreases a chance for economic development. The inhabitants of the villages Xaaxi and Qalacaato through their participation in the project will indirectly take part in creating sustainable development through development of fodder value chain, which will contribute to economic stability and self-sufficiency in Togdheer. The contribution of the local community, its readiness to improve the current situation of farmers and environmental rehabilitation are extremely important. The area covered by the project is a property of the target community, which guarantees long-term effects of the activities.

Assumed activities within the project:

• Natural resources management workshops. Environmental rehabilitation.
• Technical training on fodder production.
• Workshops on fodder value chain identification and its analysis.
• Establishing two cooperatives and training for its employees.

More information:

1. Progress report FDS/ PENHA (June 2012)
2. Report of the local partner PENHA (July 2012) >>>