If I was to
come up with the most renowned, but also the most controversial charity
initiative in Poland, without hesitation I would point at Wielka Orkiestra
Świątecznej Pomocy. Those who’d wish to translate its name into English
could scratch their heads to figure out what Świąteczna stands for. The
most common explanation is that it pertains to Christmas, as its first event
was held in early January, shortly past the Christmas tide.
Beginnings
of the initiative could be traced back to January 1993. Poland was in the state
of flux past the downfall of communism. The nascent private sector was booming,
but on the other hand several industries were on its knees. The public purse
was not chock full of money, especially to fund growing needs of the health
service, which has not moved ahead from the bygone era. From its beginnings, WOŚP
was a fundraising, with proceeds aimed at purchasing medical equipment and
donating them to public hospitals.
With time WOŚP
collected more and more money, but also mobilised an army of enemies from the
right wing of the political scene. Ample reasons could have been quoted, starting
from outrage at Jerzy Owsiak, the initiative founder and leader, for espousing
social views far from conservatism, through envy somebody recurringly mobilises
an army of hearts, an achievement no one on the right side of the Polish
political arena cannot boast of, to Mr Owsiak’s political involvement, unhidden
since the very chap is hot-tempered.
Finances of
WOŚP have been x-rayed by his enemies, claiming a far too small fraction
of the money collected goes to purchases of medical equipment. I have analysed
publicly available financial statements of the foundation and found no
irregularities. Money raised from donators and bank account interest off it
finance purchases of medical equipment (over a two-year observation period),
while running costs of the foundation and its non-charity activities are
covered by payments from sponsors and partners. Mr Owsiak and his life do live
off running it, yet the founder’s salary is lower than mine, while his
contribution to quality of life in Poland is a thousand times higher than mine,
hence I see no point it in nitpicking.
If you
compare annual proceeds from WOŚP to annual outlays on health service in
Poland, you will find out WOŚP finances our health service for one day
in a year. Two or three decades ago, deficiency of medial equipment was the major
problem of the Polish healthcare system. Today, it is the shortage of doctors in
combination with ageing society which brings the health service (not only in
Poland) into imbalance. This problem is unlikely to be solved by any charity since
it is a structural one, as supply of medical stuff is highly inelastic.
In 2026 WOŚP
brings people together country-wide and has become an integral element of
January (since 2021 the final day is on the last Sunday of January, being one
of few Sundays in a year when shops are allowed to be open in Poland).
As in case
of any charity, contributions to it ought to be voluntary. If you dislike it,
for any reason, just do not donate. It is fine. But do not spread hatred. This
year, as everyone noted, the range of loathing towards WOŚP in the
public discourse was record-low. Maybe those not fond of the initiative have
come to their senses and realised their outrage only boosts the funding for WOŚP.
With respect
to me share in this magnificent pie, I can proudly boast of:
1) my home-made apple pie and cheesecake auctioned off for PLN 1,014
2) items I received as gifts as families under my care in Szlachetna Paczka
in 2025 auctioned off in total for PLN 64,
3) I won auctions for:
- a handmade woollen cap and a scarf – bid of PLN 107,
- a voucher for bowling in Arena Ursynów – bid of PLN 160,
- a voucher for snooker in Arena Ursynów – bid of PLN 62,
4) besides I donated PLN 50 to a traditional can and PLN 30 to an online can.
The contribution above totals to PLN 1,487, which sets an ambitious target to
be beaten in January 2027. Keep warm!
