On the 6th December in Embassy of the Republic of Poland on Ailesbury Road the place had a meeting of Polish Diaspora in Ireland. Members of Barka IE were also invited. We had a chance to meet there many interesting people representing Polish businesses, organisations, administration and religious communities. Read more
Rev Lord Roberts of Llandudo hosted a presentation of the work of Barka UK, a charity which has reconnected thousands of homeless East European migrants to their families or to support centres in Eastern Europe, in the House of Lords on 2nd December. Amongst the guests were ambassadors and consulate staff from several Eastern European embassies and Consulates, as well as staff from London local councils and the Home Office. Read more
Barka Foundation has been awarded for supporting those most affected in the process of political transformation in Poland, and for popularizing the Social Economy in the world. One of the most important awards for outstanding citizens and organisations in the EU – the European Civic Award – will be presented to the Barka Foundation for Mutual Help. Justification and the nomination for this award was presented by MEP Agnieszka Kozłowska-Rajewicz. Read more
At Barka homeless doesn’t mean hopeless
Since the start of the project the disruption of public order caused by the homeless Middle and Eastern Europeans significantly decreased. Barka helps to encourage them to look for jobs or to go back to the country of origin. Read more
Arnhem – Barka Foundation Netherlands is active again since this month in Arnhem. The foundation helps homeless people from Central and Eastern Europe to return to their own countries. According to the municipality the approach of Barka is successful. In one year alone 28 people were helped to return home.
Please see the link to the fourth publication of European Commission (from March 2013) on social economy and social entrepreneurship.
On page 27 there is an information on the Barka projects developed during the 25 years of experience of both the Barka Foundation and the Barka Network. Mentioned are the international projects initiated by Barka, among others in Africa, within INISE Internatonal Network for innovative Social Entrepreneurship (www.inise.org).
The author of the information on Barka in the publication is Gerhard Braunling, a former employee of the European Commission (currently an expert of the Commission). Gerhard Braunling was in chagrge of administering and developing the EQUAL community Initiative in old and new Member States.
Barka IE recently hosted two internships. Our first intern was Magda Herbik who visited us from April 3rd to April 10th . Magda is a globetrotter from Poland and a graduate of international relations studies, who has spent several months on a scholarship in both China and Turkey.
Our second intern who served as intern from 15 to 21 April was Wlodzimierz Placewicz. A Polish citizen, born in Lithuania, now living in Canada for the last 27 years. He is currently leading a house for people with mental health problems. He recently founded and registered Barka Canada in March of 2013. His recent visit to Dublin was the only one of a series of study visit to the Barka Network. In his monthly internship programme with Barka he visited Barka communities in Chudobczyce , Wladyslawowo, Posadowek, Strzelce Opolskie and Barka headquarters in Poznań, a social enterprise in the “W Starej Piekarni”(The Old Bakery). He also visited Social Integration Centres and other Barka centers abroad including projects in UK, Holland and Germany.
During their stay in Dublin interns observed the work of Barka staff and actively participated in meetings, built relationships with people in extreme circumstances (the homeless, addicts and unemployed). Barka IE would like to express our sincere thanks to the Interns for their hard work and the time spent working together in Dublin. We also offer our best wishes for their further successes. Welcome to the Barka family!
On the 12th of April CKU – Centrum Konsultacyjne Uzaleznień (Centre for Addiction Counseling) in Dublin organized a workshop about addictions. This meeting was led by the psychiatrist and addiction specialist Bohdan T. Woronowicz. As a doctor he has been treating addicts for over 30 years. During the meeting he discussed: why people get addicted, how the healing starts, how to help addicts and not to live in the trap of addiction. The main topic of the workshop was “Is the person addicted to be blamed for his or her addiction”. In addition “other” causes and symptoms of addiction were discussed -from Pharma drug addiction to Internet addiction. The workshop was attended by people suffering addiction, their families, representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and the Barka IE stuff. The initiative to invite Doctor Woronowicz to Ireland for this meeting proved both interesting and important. It has demonstrated the potential of a new and responsible approach to treating both addiction and those addicted.
On the 3rd and 4th of March, the Barka Foundation, the Barka network and its associations, the community as well as friends and partners celebrated the 70th birthday of Tomasz Sadowski, the co-founder of Barka. The first part of the ceremony took place in Chudobczyce near Pniewy, with members of the Barka community on an organic farm. The morning began with an extraordinary Holy Mass service celebrated by Father Joseph Krawiec (a priest leading the community in Barka Strzelce Opolskie), which united everyone who participated in a spirit of thankfulness for Tomasz’s creative influence on the lives of many people and communities throughout Poland, Europe and the world.
The Mass readings focused on the role of Moses and his role in the exodus of the people who had lived in slavery in Egypt, providing them with a new beginning to live in dignity and freedom.
Father Joseph compared the story of Moses with the role played by Tomasz Sadowski, in creating conditions for the development and reconstruction of the lives of many people who were once lost.
After the Mass a lunch was held in Chudobczyce, which was followed by a social gathering. The participants shared their own personal reflections and memories since the beginning of the foundation of Barka. They shared their stories with Tomasz and all others present, some stories that involved Tomasz and the impact he’s had on certain people’s lives.
On Monday 4th of March at 3pm, Tomasz’s benefit performance was held at Barka’s cafe “The Old Bakery”, which is near Poznan’s Środecki Square. This event was organised by member of his closest family and co-workers. It was a pleasant surprise for Tomasz.
The event was attended by representatives of local partnerships of the Social Economy, employees of the Barka Network Foundation, Barka representatives from the Netherlands, Ireland and England, as well as immediate members of his own family and friends. First of all we read wishes which arrived from all over the world, including Africa. Tomasz has been given the title of chief Mutua by the chiefs of the tribe of Pokomo. This occurred during his visit to Kenya and Ethiopia, where the Barka Foundation received 25 hectares of land in a place where the river Tana flows into the Indian ocean.
Then the delegations concluded the ceremony providing Tomasz with flowers and gifts. Among the gifts was a telescope that Tomasz “could monitor effectively”, publications on Africa, as well as seeds and bulbs of flowers and a fishing rod. Finally, Tomasz was asked to give a speech. He spoke of his reflections regarding his 70th birthday, and also mentioned how materialism can have a negative impact on society.
In the second part of the ceremony Tomasz’s daughters: Jadzia, Marysia and Ewa sang “Hymn to the Father,” to the tune of the musical “Les Miserables”. The lyrics were put together by Ewa with Dominik Gorny on keyboards.
Mateusz Kofta, the representative of the Środecki Partnership played “Mission” by Ennio Morricone on the bassoon .
Subsequently, his wife Barbara and Ewa said a few words “from the heart” about a difficult, but an extremely creative journey that they have taken with Tomasz.
Tomasz blew out the seventy candles and received seventy maroon roses from his family.
Tomasz’s 70th birthday created a window for a prompt reflection and discussion on the role of elders in the lives of families and clans, the impact of fathers and husbands for the building and creative development of family relations, and above all, the immense gratitude for Tomasz’s life and his contribution to the development of civilization, solidarity for the common good.
Baiba Dhidha Mjidho, the chairman of the African Forum in the United Kingdom in his wishes for Tomasz wrote: “persons who have been rescued are the largest witness and the fruit of Tom’s work. “
The celebrations of Tomasz’s 70th birthday marked the beginning of a new phase in Barka’s journey, which is associated with the progress of projects in Africa and preparations for the 25th anniversary of the Barka Foundation.
A Hymn for my father in dedication of his 70th birthday
In the melody of the song “Do you hear the people sing” from the musical “Les Miserables”
Lyrics: Ewa Sadowska
Translated by: Magdalena Herbik & Lee Seaman
For Seventy years
You have had an unenviable task
living here with us
Standing proudly as our chief
Your wisdom provides us
with a guiding light
Mutuła came
And left his mark
Chorus:
Folks, seriously
Come here and join us
Let’s sing out loud
And work restlessly
Let us not delay
Before our weakness
snaps us on the bones
Have you heard the beat of the drums?
Have you noticed the eagle’s shadow?
Destiny has brought the eagle to us
For the glory of humanity
The freedom is ours
That is why we worship
We do not stain our gates
And we return to virtue
Chorus:
You have always repeated it to us
That revolution is not the way
In the wake of evolution
It will come to look despite our scars
Love will give us a way
To avoid the path of vanityBe the voice of society
They will renew the spark of the community
You will become a part of the brotherhood
There is a journey awaiting you
You will hear the loud beats of the drums
Here comes the glorious day
We will persevere
So long as we are strong
Chorus:
You will recognize the fruits of their labour
When the time comes for the results
And then you will call
You will recognize us as brothers
Giving a sign of victory
On the trail of the brotherhood
Give us a hand!
The representatives of Dutch municipalities, who invited Barka in January this year to start homeless migrants’ support programmes in 3 big cities in Holland ( Utrecht, The Hague, Amsterdam) came to visit Barka Network in Poland on 14-17 October. Representatives of organisations helping the homeless in those cities, the police and NOS journalists took part in the visit as well.
The participants visited Barka Network programmes in Poznan and the area, among them: the Communities, where homeless migrants, who have nowhere to go back, are returning to. There was also time to speak to few persons, who used to be homeless in Utrecht, Amsterdam and The Hague and were reconnected to Barka programmes in Poland, underwent alcohol addiction rehabilitation and are rebuilding their lives now.
Apart from visiting the Communities, the participants of the visit saw the educational programmes run by associations in Barka Network : Social Integration Centres in Poznan, Kwilcz, Gebiczyn and Chudobczyce, which are preparing long-term unemployed to enter the job-market. They also had the opportunity of visiting social cooperatives started by people, who completed Social Integration Centre programme and also local partnerships for social and vocational inclusion functioning in communes of Kwilcz, Czarnków and Lwówek Wlkp, which had been facilitated by Barka and now are functioning independently.
Dutch guests visited also the social settlement built in private-public partnership of Barka Foundation, City of Poznan and Polish government. Another entity visited was a limited liability non-profit company in Kwilcz , wchich gives employment to people who completed reintegration programmes , but still cannot find their way in open market.
