Krakow and Shell will donate 1,000 laptops to war refugees

It’s a repetition of the donation drive, treating aid not as a sprint but as a marathon

The City of Krakow and Shell have signed an agreement, together with the Internationaler Bund Polska Foundation (IBP), to donate 1,000 laptops to organizations that specifically help refugees. The devices will be delivered to centres and places in the Polish city, which provide computer courses in common rooms for the benefit of war victims.

The distribution will be handled by the IBP foundation as part of its activities carried out in help points such as the Multicultural Center and the Information Point for Foreigners.

Computers help with integration

Reportedly, the donation drive is not the first such initiative by Shell in Krakow.

“Just over a year ago, in April 2022, as Shell, we supported the #LaptopyDlaUkrainy action, donating 1,200 devices for this purpose, which could be used by refugees. From the very beginning of the war in Ukraine, we treat our help for those in need as a marathon, not a sprint, which is why on 11 May 2023 we donated another 1,000 laptops for this purpose,” explained Grzegorz Mucha, general director of the Kraków branch of Shell, who was present at the briefing.

He continued: “This time, the equipment will be given to organizations providing long-term assistance to people who have fled their homes from the horrors of war. We hope that thanks to such support, we will facilitate learning, job search or simply acclimatization in a new environment.”

Maria Wojtacha, director of the IBP foundation added that the donation of the equipment is valuable because in the modern context, it is essential to have technology present in the educational context. More specifically, the laptops will be beneficial in the teaching of Polish language and integration courses.

The IBP Foundation supported the local government in activities for the war in Ukraine and in 2022, it helped over 174,000 refugees in Krakow.