I first hatched the idea of becoming a volunteer around June and followed it out in July. Worth noting that was the time the virus was retreating and I admit not to have predicted the epidemic would go in overdrive until late autumn as it did.
I was one of the first volunteers to have signed an agreement with Stowarzyszenie Wiosna (which runs Szlachetna Paczka) and to have gone through an online onboarding. Back at that stage I noticed poor organisation (my online training was called off and put back two times) and general deficiency of people. It seems even while the number of daily new infections was three-digit, some volunteers have decided not to sign up this year, to protect their or their family members’ health.
Beginning of my area taking shape also were sluggish. Recruiting volunteers was not an easy task. On top, even while more than ten volunteers were lined up, we could not kick off with first tasks, due to moor management skills of our area leader.
I have moaned about her a lot while talking to my girlfriend, parents or friends and don’t feel like going on about her again. She lacked managerial skills, failed in delegating tasks, even if she assigned tasks, did not enforce their completion. She did not keep a grip on all stuff she should have had control over as a leader.
Moreover, she and several area leaders from Warsaw gathered in early October to party hard and have infected one another with coronavirus (not a joke, a confirmed story from a person who decline to attend the party).
Consequently, we lagged behind with collecting histories of families which could have become beneficiaries of the initiative. Pandemic did not facilitate the task, as potential beneficiaries had so sign personally consent for transfer of their sensitive personal information to Szlachetna Paczka, which was impeded by the general social distancing. Finally, we got consents from around 35 families, short of our target of 75 families.
The next stage, visiting families, also was pursued behind schedule. Visits at people’s dwellings paid in the first half of November, coincided with the peak of new infections. With hindsight, I am asking myself what had prompted me to risk my health by visiting families which have eventually not been taken on.
The mechanism of verification whether a family deserves a wise aid does work well. For such reason around two third of families visited are turned away. I interviewed four families and have not decided to take on any of them. The first one in terms of approach to life was exemplary, but had a discretionary income of PLN 1,500 per person in a household, far too much to receive help. The second one was a mother bringing up a son, working, yet doing absolutely nothing to improve her life and waiting until somebody else comes and gives them gifts. The third one was a pure pathological family with little motivation to work, but with two TV sets in their council flat and a Netflix subscription. The fourth one was another mother raising two sons on her own, living off social care allowances, as she was jobless for too long to be eligible for a dole and took little effort to find a job.
A week before the final weekend everything was falling apart. We were in process of arranging our warehouse, lacked sponsors to provide us with food, lacked a lorry to transport bigger items and lacked a logistics plan. I was responsible for logistics and after a week of sleeping five hours a day and getting behind with work (home office facilitated sharing time between work and the Paczka) everything, except catering (closed restaurants are not that eager to get involved in sponsorship) was straightened out.
These days sanitary regime is a must. Szlachetna Paczka had procedures in place and allegedly had some contingency plans for the final weekend to be pursued in case of full lockdown. Procedures fortunately were obeyed at least when donators came to deliver parcels, but as no guests were around and volunteers were in the warehouse (indoors) masks were off. I kept away from the group of over ten people staging a covid party indoors, so when I was not carrying parcels or driving them to families, I stayed outdoors with two other volunteers who, like me, were afraid of keep company to our unmasked fellows (the shivered for two days). The day after the weekend I have purchased a genetic test at Medicover and I will be tested the day after tomorrow, long enough after exposure to the virus so that it is detected. Until now I feel fine, but I have not been in touch with any of the volunteers, so I do not know how participants of the covid party are feeling.
From what I heard from my workmate who was a volunteer at another district in Warsaw, sanitary regime was a theory out there was well, her common sense also told her to stay away from frivolous volunteers
Just like a year ago and two years ago, I was involved as a donator for families from Płońsk area. Yesterday I learnt in comparison to what went on in Płońsk, sanitary regime in Warsaw was exemplary. In Płońsk volunteers had no face masks, were keen on kissing and hugging donators, drink tea and treat them with a soup. Representatives of donators rushed to offload parcels, sign documents and hurriedly escaped the scene, outraged with gross irresponsibility of volunteers.
My general impression on what I was involved in is shaped mainly by the
pandemic, which has taken away the entire joy of the initiative and brought in an
element of fear. I am currently quite sensitive about how people abide by sanitary
regime. I am fucking angry and frustrated with reckless behaviour of
volunteers, who I call a bunch of brainless, f**king irresponsible morons
(banda bezmózgich, j**anych, nieodpowiedzialnych debili). They helped some people,
while put at risk life and health of others. I still can’t get over it. I am
still livid at the mere memory of that carelessness, hazardous especially less
than two weeks before Christmas, ahead of family gatherings. Ku**wsko wściekły
jestem. Besides, I feel not comfortable about posting a coverage on facebook, on which everything looked out perfectly. Yet my intention was to propagate the initiative, not to spread bad word about the dark side of it.
It is too early for me to take a decision whether I get involved next year. For sure I will continue to be a donator, but if the pandemic does not wane considerably, participation as a volunteer is out of question. I am generally distasted after seeing the backstage of it, though still find the concept of the initiative and the wise aid commendable and worth being supported.
Have a healthy, responsibly lived through Christmas!
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