Integration, training and women's empowerment: these are the three pillars of the project "Labour inclusion for Ukrainian refugees in Poland" launched in August 2022 by AVSI with its historical partner AVSI Polska and support from Intesa Sanpaolo in response to the wave of migrants entering Poland due to the war in Ukraine.
This innovative project successfully combined language training, soft skills courses, technical training with psychological and legal assistance, culminating in job placement.
Twenty-five local companies operating in various sectors were involved in the project: from the mechanical engineering and electronics industry, to logistics, financial and insurance services, consulting and education. The six-month project also included a financial aid component involving vouchers for the most vulnerable Ukrainian refugee families and placing and supporting 50 Ukrainian minors in Polish educational programmes, from kindergartens to nursery schools.
Intesa Sanpaolo's support is part of its ESG ((Environmental, Social & Governance) commitment to societies and communities, which has led the Bank to promptly donate €10 million for solidarity and hospitality measures benefiting the Ukrainian people, including projects focusing on humanitarian protection, housing, direct financial support, health and psychological assistance, distribution of basic necessities and integration of refugees.
"In just a few months, the project has responded concretely to the needs of those – especially women with children – who have fled Ukraine. They needed to work to support themselves and to integrate into the new country. To do so, they put their skills to work." Donato Di Gilio, president of AVSI Polska, commented: "The project's strength was its ability to match the needs of Polish companies and job market with the skills and training of female refugees."
"In AVSI's project, we found those values of solidarity and inclusion that characterise the Bank's ESG initiatives, and which made it possible to act promptly to seek a long-term solution for numerous Ukrainian families at a time of serious difficulty. When Intesa Sanpaolo decided to make a major donation at the outbreak of the conflict, it identified Avsi as one of the most reliable partners to benefit from the resources," commented Paolo Bonassi, Head of Strategic Support Intesa Sanpaolo.
