From first aid kits on the front lines to blankets in hospitals. Help begins with empathy

The war across Poland's eastern border has become a painful daily reality for many. The scale of needs remains enormous. According to the Chairman of the Totalizator Sportowy Foundation, Marek Orzechowski, aid to Ukraine should not be seen in political or geographical terms, but as a basic element of human solidarity. It is about supporting people placed in a border situation - similar to the one in which anyone could find themselves.

The activities of the Totalizator Sportowy Foundation are carried out in two ways. On the one hand, the Foundation provides financial and ideological support to non-governmental organizations that implement aid projects both in Ukraine and Poland. These programs are aimed at refugees and Ukrainian citizens who have decided to stay in Poland and build their lives here. An important element of these activities is to support integration processes and build social resilience - while respecting cultural differences.

The second area is the Foundation's proprietary programs focused on direct, concrete assistance. These include educational support, activities aimed at the Ukrainian community in Poland, and assistance implemented directly in Ukraine. One of the most tangible examples is the delivery of first aid kits to the front lines, carried out in cooperation with the Foundation's partners. Estimates show that each such first aid kit can save 4 lives. The Totalizator Sportowy Foundation has donated 4,000 such first-aid kits.

As Chairman Marek Orzechowski points out, despite the passage of time, the needs on the Ukrainian side remain great. The society is exhausted by years of conflict, and the scale of destruction and trauma is compared to experiences known from the darkest pages of the 20th century. In this situation, helping is not a choice, but an obligation arising from responsibility and empathy.

At the same time, the Totalizator Sportowy Foundation conducts numerous activities for health care in Poland. Support is directed both to large medical institutions and to specific departments or facilities that report current needs. This assistance includes financing of specialized medical equipment, but also less spectacular, but extremely necessary elements of the daily functioning of health care facilities.

A special example is the long-standing cooperation with the Children's Health Center. There, the Foundation regularly donates support that meets the real needs of patients and staff - from equipment to small items that improve the comfort of hospitalized children. Board games, colorful blankets or mascots go, among others, to psychiatric and pediatric wards, helping the youngest patients at least for a moment to get away from the difficult hospital reality.

The chairman of the Totalizator Sportowy Foundation points out that it is precisely such "small" forms of assistance that are often overlooked in large charitable actions, yet are of great importance to the quality of patient care. The Foundation strives to respond both to needs that require large sums of money and those that do not fit into spectacular projects, but are necessary in the daily operation of medical facilities.

All of these activities are united by a common philosophy - the belief that assistance should be systemic, long-term and based on attention to the other person. As Chairman Marek Orzechowski emphasizes - each of us sooner or later may find ourselves in a situation where we need support - whether in the face of war, illness or another life crisis.

"It's worth helping, and let's remember that each of us will expect help sooner or later - whether from family, relatives or friends." - Marek Orzechowski.