Ukrainian community in Poland as hero of social campaign

Our Choice Foundation, in cooperation with Facebook, is launching a social campaign aimed at highlighting the contribution of the Ukrainian community to the Polish economy, culture, and society. The action ‘Together on the net, together in Poland’ will show, inter alia, profiles of Ukrainian entrepreneurs, artists, and activists living in Poland.

The campaign will be attended by, among others, Oleg Yarovy and Inna Yarova – a married couple who run a chain of popular coffee shops Dobro & Dobro in Poland; teenage activist Kira Sukhoboichenko, who at the age of 10 won the competition for a children's startup and then launched an initiative to encourage young people to boldly share their ideas; Olga Pasiecznik, an outstanding soprano of the Polish Royal Opera and the Grand Theater of the National Opera; or Vadym Melnyk, founder of a robotics and drone company, distinguished in the "Forbes 25 under 25" ranking.

“In recent years, Ukrainian women and men have become an important part of the communities of many Polish towns and villages. We want to emphasize their contribution to the multifaceted development of these communities, as well as counteract negative stereotypes about Ukrainians in Poland,” Myroslava Keryk, president of the board of the Our Choice Foundation, said.

Ukrainians are by far the largest group of foreigners living in Poland. According to data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland (GUS), 1.27 million citizens of this country resided in Poland in January 2019, which constituted approx. 3.5 percent of the Polish population. The number of companies established by Ukrainians is also growing dynamically. However, the contribution of the Ukrainian community is not limited to the economic development of Poland. It is also visible in, among others, culture and the non-governmental sector.

(PAP)