Aleksandra Czech has been involved in charity for many years. She came to Norway from England, where she helped the victims, incl. trafficking in human beings. She came to Oslo to start working for the Salvation Army, an international charity. After the move, she will continue to help people - this time as an environmental worker at the Migration Center.
How long have you been helping people?
It started with volunteering in my second year of studies, when I was on a student scholarship in Norway. I worked as a volunteer in the "Save the Children" organization, where we organized activities for children and teenagers at a local refugee center. After returning to Poland, I signed up with Amnesty International and it has stayed that way. I was always doing something, and after moving to England to study, I got a job in an organization helping homeless people and victims of human trafficking. In total, it will be about 7 years.
What prompted the Lady to start helping? Was there any external inspiration or is it due to an internal need?
I've always been socially oriented. Volunteering in a refugee center and subsequent experiences in life in exile. They prompted me to continue my studies and then work in this profession.
After the scholarship, I stayed on vacation in Norway and worked as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant where all the employees were working immigrants, which the restaurant owner used heavily and did not pay us fairly. I had to fight for my paycheck and that of my colleagues. All these experiences made me want to work with human rights in the future and help others.
Realization of the fact that, in our eyes, the right to work for some is unattainable due to the lack of a work permit (refugees, asylum seekers). For others, unfortunately, it can become a cause of exploitation in the workplace. She directed me to specialize in helping the victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, as well as homelessness.
Since when has the Salvation Army been operating?
The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 in London by William and Catherine Booth, who wanted to help poor people from the outskirts of London. It is an international charity, the structure of which is based on a military organization. It has two main parts, which is missionary activity and social assistance. In Poland, the Army operated before the Second World War. Then the activity resumed in 2005.
Are there many cases of people who ended up in the streets after emigrating abroad for work?
From my work experience, I can say that it was quite a lot of people. I work with the most extreme cases on a daily basis. Not only with the Polish diaspora, whose daily life in exile is pretty good, so it's hard for me to compare. In most cases, the families of people who find themselves in a difficult situation abroad do not even know about it. The shame and pressure to send money and earn some extra money abroad are so great that if we fail, we are afraid to admit it to our family so as not to disappoint them.
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Personally, during 4 years of work in England, I have met hundreds of such people. However, there are also cases in which given persons escape, for example, from a prison in Poland or from alimony. There are also people who have very serious mental health problems. In combination with alcohol abuse, it can make such a person homeless in Poland, and then, as a result of human trafficking, also end up on the streets in another country.
What is the most memorable case?
Everyone. I remember every person I've worked with, every story. There are many that took sleep. One is the story of a young Pakistani woman who was sold by her family and forced to marry her cousin in England in order to work as a carer for an elderly uncle. She was 15 at the time and her family had forged her birth certificate in order to get her across the border.
Those were years of violence, rape, humiliation and slavery. I accompanied her for two weeks while waiting for the appropriate safety home and helped her testify to the police. Most of the time she held my hand and cried.
In turn, the most shocking thing about working with Poles was working with Robert (name changed). Who worked illegally for 16 years in England, 8 years of which he spent living in the basement of the person for whom he worked in the renovation of houses. His partner also died in this cellar. When I met him for the first time, he weighed 45 kg, he had tuberculosis and he spoke of his tormentors as if he were a family.
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It was the most severe case of the so-called the Stockholm syndrome I have ever encountered. He didn't want help, he just wanted to work. Of course, he did not have the strength for it, and his "family" unfortunately was not interested in such an arrangement. I kept in touch with him for 6 weeks while he was in the infectious disease ward, until I finally managed to gain his trust and he left for a safety home. Then he finally returned to his family in Poland, but only after the doctor told him that if he returned to work, he would die because his body would not be able to cope. Typical Poles, work literally to death.
What are the most common problems you encounter during your work?
Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Mental Illness, Domestic Violence, Slavery, Homelessness, Unemployment, Work Abuse, Extreme Poverty, Racial Discrimination, PTSD, Debt, No Residence Rights, Prostitution.
The Salvation Army arrived in Norway as early as 1888. What are the structures like? Is the organization active in this country and how does it look compared to, for example, London, where it was established? In which countries are the structures of the Salvation Army the most resilient?
I have only been working in the Salvation Army in Norway since August, but it is a very recognizable and respected organization here. England there I worked a lot with the Salvation Army. It managed a network of safety houses for victims of trafficking in human beings and was very well organized.
The Salvation Army has outposts in 128 countries, so it's hard for me to answer unequivocally. I am also impressed by the activities of the Polish Army. It runs the Job Offer Verification Point. She is strongly committed to counteracting slavery and spreading awareness about it in Poland. I had the opportunity to meet a part of the Polish team during a conference in Malbork a month and a half ago and they are very committed people, more people like that!
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The Salvation Army works on the premise that every human being is valuable and each has potential, and that we can all play a valuable role in society.
Structure of the Salvation Army despite being a Christian organization. It is built on the basis of military organizations, so in each country the Army has its corps spread out geographically. The Army corps include officers managed by corporals, sergeants and, at the national level, generals. The second member of the Army is also ordinary workers, like me, who are not trained officers and specialize in social work, etc.
What is your role in Norwegian structures?
The activities of the Salvation Army in Norway take place in the so-called the third sector - together with other NGOs.
Nevertheless, many projects, such as mine - Migration Center -. It is financed from the city office, which transfers part of the public funds of a given organization on the basis of a tender for a given service. In order, for example, to run a center for help for the homeless. On this principle, the Salvation Army also runs the so-called Vinternatt, i.e. night shelters for the homeless, when the temperatures drop to -10.
As an organization, we have fewer barriers and we are more accessible than, for example, the city hall. We play the role of liaison between society and state authorities.
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On November 12, you are organizing an event on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Poland's Independence. What can we expect? What was the idea behind this event?
It is a small event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Poland together. For those who find themselves in a difficult position in Oslo. In recent months, I have had contact with Poles who are homeless here. Unemployed people and / or have problems with alcohol, mental health, etc.
I would like to organize a snack for these people with Polish food, Polish music and maybe a quiz, nothing complicated. A simple opportunity to meet friendly people in a warm place and see how our center operates. The event is funded by the Salvation Army. I will also receive help in preparing food from a Polish volunteer who contacted me after watching an interview with Radio Wataha. I am very grateful for this help!
