A charity run by Scottish football fans yesterday made a donation of 25,000 zloty (€5,250) to a Polish foundation that runs a daycare centre for around 100 refugee children from Ukraine.
The Tartan Army, as followers of the Scottish national team are known, were in Kraków to support their team in a crucial UEFA Nations League match against Ukraine, who are playing their “home” matches in Poland because of the ongoing war in their country.
The Tartan Army Children’s Charity (TACC), which helps disadvantaged children both in Scotland and in the countries the fans visit while supporting their team on their travels, raises money by selling T-shirts, kilts and badges, organising events, and holding raffles and lotteries.
The recipient of their aid in Poland is the Foundation of Initiatives for New Education (FINE), which was set up in March this year as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It runs a centre in Kraków offering free daycare to Ukrainian children aged between three and six.
The foundation also hosts a meeting point for children, teenagers and adults and produces materials for learning Polish as a foreign language. It is one of numerous grassroots initiatives that sprang up around Poland, which has been the primary destination for those fleeing Ukraine.
Millions of refugees have crossed into Poland since Russia’s invasion, around 40% of them children, and it is estimated that over one million remain in the country.
“The Scottish football fans are deeply saddened by the hardships facing Ukrainian children and families, and we are very pleased to support those most badly affected in a small way,” said Derek Clark, chairman of TACC, who praised FINE for its “great work in supporting Ukrainian children and families”.
Representatives of the charity dressed in kilts met the teachers and children at the daycare centre and played “Scotland the Brave” as well as the Ukrainian national anthem on the bagpipes for them. Some of the youngsters also tried their hand at playing the instrument.
“We are very grateful for this money, which is mostly needed for the Ukrainian teachers,” said Katarzyna Ogińska of FINE, accepting the donation. “This donation is great because you help not only the teachers themselves, but also all the kids who are under their care.”
A separate charity, the Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal, which also makes donations to children’s charities in the countries the national team visits, gave £4,000 (21,340 zloty) as well as school equipment to Bebiko, a Ukrainian children’s charity in Ternopil, via an online presentation in Kraków.
Fans donating through the appeal have sent more than £9,000 (47,950 zloty) to the Dzherelo Rehabilitation Centre since the outbreak of the war, and the donation in Kraków is the 92nd the charity has made, said its secretary Clark Gillies.
The Scottish fans went home happy from last night’s match at Cracovia Stadium after watching their team get the draw they needed to top their Nations League group and secure promotion. A win for Ukraine, who lost 3-0 to Scotland in Glasgow last week, would have seen them pip Scotland to top spot.
Main image credit: Tartan Army Children’s Charity
Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Originally from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.
