Peace Patrol Volunteers at the Grand Finale Studio in Warsaw. photo: Michał Zieliński

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Launches Covid-19 Relief Initiative

19 March 2020

Currently, in an attempt to slow down the progress of Covid-19 infection, the Polish government and health advise citizens to self-isolate. To offer assistance to some of the most vulnerable citizens, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation has launched an online platform, which will connect people seeking support with volunteers and activists.

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation relies on the work and commitment of hundreds of thousands volunteers and activists, who are eager to offer their support to people, who are the most vulnerable to the new coronavirus. The charity received many signals that local Peace Patrol volunteers and activists from Collection Centres are ready to help the elderly, and people with pre-existing conditions in day-to-day tasks. The errands the volunteers are prepared to take up include shopping, dog walking, and other essential chores, which would require breaking self-isolation. On the other hand, the Foundation received many requests for help. To address this, we have launched an online platform, which connects local volunteers with people looking for help.

We decided to focus on connecting people on a regional level. Volunteers can submit requests for help and offers of support via our online platform. After the messages have been verified, the locations of volunteers are displayed on the interactive map.

The initiative was launched on March 16th, and since then, (update as of March 20th) we received information from 669 people who are ready to help. One hundred nineteen tasks have been completed, while the average time between the request for help and the response is 35 minutes. We have also received applications from the members of the Polish community abroad: Germany, Belgium, and the UK, who declared their desire to help their neighbours. We continue to stress the importance of volunteer's safety.

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Our coronavirus response initiative aims to help people with their day-to-day lives while the entire country is struggling to suppress the coronavirus outbreak. I count on your creativity, and I believe that kindness and friendliness are fundamental in this tasking time. All hands on deck! I think that the virus will not break us. I would like to thank everyone who will give even one minute of their time to help.

Jurek Owsiak, chairman of the board of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity

The board members of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation reached out to the Minister of Health to offer their resources. The charity, which buys medical equipment for paediatric hospitals across the country, will donate hospital beds for intensive care units, where patients struggling with Covid-19 are being treated. The GOCC secured 100 beds for ICUs for hospitals in Poland.

The social and psychological impact of self-isolation can be daunting, especially for people with underlying medical conditions, and older people who are more at risk when it comes to contracting coronavirus. Kindness from others and help when it comes to simple day-to-day tasks can boost morale and help us - a society - get through the pandemic crisis.

Olga

Press Office at The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity

+48 695870029