SOS

Organizational Vision
Citizen Base Strategy
Results

Organizational Vision

The communist regime in Poland officially denied the existence of poverty. As a result, there were few mechanisms to assist the homeless, and even fewer to assist the hungry. The few institutions that did exist were extremely bureaucratic and did not efficiently distribute food to families and individuals in need. Wojtek Onyszkiewicz, an Ashoka Fellow, wanted to create a food bank that would help alleviate the problem of hunger amongst the poor and homeless populations of Warsaw.

In starting his food bank, SOS, Wojtek decided to replicate the French system of surplus food distribution, which relied on companies donating food that was past the expiration date but before it was no longer consumable. Unfortunately, Wojtek soon realized that the French system could not be replicated because, in Poland, companies continued to sell food after its expiration date, and therefore were not willing to give it away for free.

At this point, Wojtek and his volunteers were faced with a challenge: the need to organize a steady and reliable supply of food.

Citizen Base Strategy

In attempting to find a solution to his food supply challenge, Wojtek noted the disparity in nutritional levels between rural and urban populations. He realized that since they were likely to engage in some form of agricultural production themselves, people in rural areas had ample supplies of food. Wojtek began to see that rural villagers could play a key role as suppliers for his food bank. However, he also noted that while their food supplies tended to exceed those of poor urbanites, there were intense feelings of resentment and animosity towards city-dwellers amongst rural villagers who saw huge disparities between opportunities for urban and rural children.

Wojtek decided to tackle the challenge with a strategy based not on a charity appeal, but rather on mutual interest. SOS approached a few rural villagers and suggested a partnership: the villagers would donate excess agricultural products such as potatoes, and in return, SOS would expose their children to opportunities in the cities.

The villagers agreed to this partnership and began to donate surplus agricultural products to SOS. To uphold its half of the partnership, SOS began bringing children of donor families to Warsaw on field trips. These urban excursions for the children, which have become popular and highly anticipated events, include visits to educational, as well as recreational, sites such as museums, parks, and restaurants. Often, these trips provide the only exposure to city life for many rural children.

Results

The partnership SOS has formed with villagers has not only created an efficient system for the distribution of surplus food, but is also helping to bridge the gap between rural and urban populations. The children’s experiences in the city provide rural villagers with insight into urban life. Meanwhile, SOS has met its challenge and found a steady supply of food as well as cultivated a strong citizen base of support for its work.

Read a profile about Wojtek Onyszkiewicz, Ashoka Fellow.