Black Mountain Rotary Club to help Ukrainian refugee students in Poland

A grant from Rotary International to the Black Mountain Rotary Club will allow a member of the club to travel to Warsaw, Poland, to support Ukrainian children who have fled to the city during the war.

John DeWitt traveled to Warsaw two months ago at the request of Trae Holland, the executive director of the International School in Kyiv, Ukraine. DeWitt and Holland have previously worked together in Guatemala helping establish schools and helping children there.

DeWitt said with his recent travel to Warsaw, he met with Holland and came up with a plan on how to help the children from Ukraine who had fled to Poland.

“The bombs are falling day and night,” DeWitt said. “The school had to go into bunkers because the bombs were flying during the day. The kids were locked up in bunkers. The biggest problem is the teachers were frustrated. How do you deal with the problems that personally they are having? … How do you cope with this, and how do you help the kids?”

Upon his return to Black Mountain, DeWitt wrote up the plan and grant application. He said this plan involves himself and two psychologists from Atlanta traveling back to Warsaw to provide counseling and support for the teachers, children and their families. DeWitt said these psychologists have experience working during crises in the U.S., having worked with both the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The grant will help bring 11 teachers from the International School in Kyiv to Warsaw to get training from the group and will serve 82 children that have fled Kyiv to Warsaw with their families.

“We’re going to do a week of intensive training and support to the teachers,” DeWitt said. “Both in terms of self-care – how do you take care of yourself when the world’s falling apart? But secondly, how do you help kids and families in your classroom when they’re trying to survive?”

The grant, which includes the international grant as well as funds from the Black Mountain Rotary Club, totals $40,100.

The funds will be used for:

• Two psychologists traveling from Atlanta to Warsaw for a week of training.
• Funds for teachers in Kyiv to travel to Warsaw for the training.
• Training for teachers in Warsaw who are working with the refugee children.
• The purchase of materials, equipment and supplies for a child care center for the refugee children to attend in Warsaw as well as training the staff on child development.
• The repair of the ventilation system and internet system for the International School in Kyiv.
• Follow-up training for teachers at the International Schools in Kyiv and Warsaw.

DeWitt and the psychologists will be in Warsaw for the trainings May 5 through May 10.

DeWitt, now retired, spent his working career in education. He said he continues the work he is doing now “because there are children that need help.”

“It’s just a natural fit,” DeWitt said. “When somebody calls from wherever and they’ve got children with problems, I get called.”

The Black Mountain Rotary Club accepts donations year-round for projects such as these, but a major fundraising gala event is held in September.