June 9th, 2011 @Poznan, Poland
As soon as the train got to the platform, I spotted Magda and Zanetta, staff of street magazine Gazeta Uliczna, sold here in Poznan.
This street magazine is one of the projects by Barka foundation. The history of this organization unfolded 20 years ago. In 1989, problems were piled up in this country since the political tide had changed drastically. One of the problems was housing. There was no law existed to help out who had kicked out their flats because they couldn’t afford to it any more. And there was the only way left for those people, sleeing on the street.
The first chapter of Barka foundation unfolded Barbara and Tomasz Sadowski started to live in a ruined school with those homeless people. They growed vegetables and livestock for living together.
Twenty years later, the organization has network all over Poland, and even to the other European countries with EU subsidies.
At their office in Poznan, a dozen of job-training workshops for long-term unemployed were held. One of them, at a sewing class, Beata told me that she had been unemployed for three years and social welfare center introduced her to this workshop. “Sitting at home without doing anything is the hardest life. Here, I have peers who I can share my challenges in my life. I think these workshops will help me to get a job and spend a stable life,” she said.
Members of cooking workshop prepare lunch for staff and participants. “My hubby was delighted when I served him special sandwiches,” one of the members, Irna told me. The vegetable soup they served was with a bunch of flavor of love.