About Poland
We are offering a NEW pilot program from Poland for Christmas 2024!
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe extending from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south. It is bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west. The country is fortunate to have a varied landscape with a temperate climate, and is the fifth largest state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 million people. It is the fifth largest EU country and its capital is Warsaw.
Poland is a country rooted in history and tradition. The culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1,000-year history, and the Poles take great pride in their national identity which is often associated with the colours white and red. The country is predominantly Christian, with approximately 71 percent belonging to the Catholic faith. Poland has an unemployment rate of only 2.8%, the second-lowest in the EU and around 62% of people work in the service sector, 29% in manufacturing, and 8% in the agricultural sector.
Although Poland is a member of the EU, the country has not adopted the Euro as legal tender and maintains its own currency – the Polish złoty.
Over the course of history, the Polish people have made many contributions in the fields of science, technology and mathematics, with Marie Curie and Nicolaus Copernicus being perhaps the two most famous Poles in these areas. Copernicus' achievements and discoveries are considered the basis of Polish culture and cultural identity.
The children available for hosting from Poland are typically school age (9-17 years old), singles or sibling pairs/groups who reside in orphanages. Although Poland has a budding foster care system, the children offered for hosting all come from orphanages.
FACTS:
For children living in out-of-family-care, Poland has both foster homes and orphanages called Dom Dziecka. Children come into care for a variety of reasons including parents' alcoholism, drug use, financial issues, or abuse/neglect in the home. Most children residing in orphanages are considered "social orphans" meaning one or both parents are still living, but unable to provide proper care for them.
At the end of 2023, 75,300 children in Poland were in out-of-family-care, with 58,200 in family foster care and 17,100 in institutional (orphanage) care. Kinship care (care by extended family) accounts for around 63% of foster care placements. Of the children in care, 61% of them are school age (7-17yrs old).
