Władysław Grochowski and his wife Lena became the first Poles to receive the Nansen Refugee Award for Europe from the United Nations. The prestigious prize was given to them for having provided accommodation to several thousand Ukrainian refugees in their hotel chain since the outbreak of the war.
As it can be read on its official website, the Nansen Refugee Award “honours individuals, groups and organisations who go above and beyond the call of duty to protect refugees, as well as internally displaced and stateless people”.
Władysław Grochowski is the CEO of a significant hotel and property group known as Arche. Right after Russia invaded Ukraine in the winter of 2022, he and his wife Lena coordinated a large program providing free accommodation in their properties to over 14,000 refugees fleeing the war.
“I take the Nansen Award as a thank you for what our foundation and other NGOs are doing in our country, welcoming thousands of refugees, giving them a roof over their heads, helping them find work, education, and develop their interests,” Lena Grochowska told the Polish media.
According to the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) the couple’s foundation provided about $4.5 million for longer-term housing for displaced Ukrainian families, for example by opening accommodation centres in several different cities across Poland.
“[Their] philanthropic work has had an indelible impact on thousands of refugees, providing them with vital support, including shelter, livelihoods, and social integration”, we read in an official statement by the UNHCR.
It is estimated that almost 8 in 10 Poles were involved in helping Ukrainian refugees during the first months of the war, spending about €2 billion in doing so, if data from the Polish Economic Institute (PIE) are to be believed.
As of 30 November 2023, nearly 17,5 million Ukrainian citizens crossed the border from Ukraine to Poland, according to data provided by Poland’s Border Guard.
Image: X (@UNHCRPoland)
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
