After attending Polish classes and job counselling sessions with Magdalena, Tatiana’s confidence has grown. She feels ready to officially launch her doll-making business while she settles into her life in Poland. “I have been lucky enough to meet good, kind-hearted people. It has given me the opportunity to distract myself from the problems back home,” Tatiana explains.

Despite having to leave her old life behind, with support from local organizations and the vital work that they carry out on integration for those displaced by conflict, Tatiana and many others in a similar situation now have an opportunity to build a new life in Poland.

Her two boys go to a Polish school where they are currently learning Polish and are slowly starting to feel more integrated in their new surroundings. “Since the war is not over yet, we decided to stay in Poland with the children as it’s much calmer here. We are not planning to return to Ukraine just yet; we are happy here for now.”

To date, the Share SIRA project funded by the European Union's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) has assisted 30 women from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and Belarus. IOM aims to expand and implement integration projects in Rzeszów, Krakow, and Warsaw to ensure that others can also benefit from the crucial support they need to feel at home in Poland.

This story was written by Ewelina Kawczynska, Senior Public Information Coordinator with IOM Poland, ekawczynska@iom.int.

If you are interested in donating to Ukraine relief efforts, please visit IOM's fundraising page.

International Migrants Day (18 December) is the day designated by the United Nations to raise awareness about the challenges and opportunities presented by global migration in all its forms, to advocate for the rights of migrants to be respected, and encourage the international community to work together to ensure migration is managed in a manner that is safe, orderly and dignified.