How do we work?

learn about our mission

Omenaa Mensah, together with its Foundation, has been providing educational support for street children in Ghana and children’s homes in Poland for many years. However, in view of the dramatic situation in Ukraine, the Foundation also has decided to engage in helping the Ukrainian refugees who are constantly coming in to our country and who need to find their place in our society. Therefore, in Warsaw, a daily support and education centre ‘RiO Edu Centrum’ was established, which will help Ukrainian mothers in their professional activation free of CHARGE, and will provide their children with education.

“My activities focus mainly on long-term, systemic help. They had received incredible support from Poles at the very beginning of the war. Now is the time to give our guests from across the eastern border, a fresh start. Education has always been and will always be important in my ventures, because it gives freedom to anyone who wants to develop and move forward. Hence, the idea to create the RiO Edu Centrum.”

Omenaa Mensah, President of the Omenaa Foundation.

RiO Edu Centrum

RiO Edu Centrum is a daily centre of education and support for mothers and children from Ukraine.

The centre is located in Warsaw, at Konstruktorska 12 (entrance B). It houses 5 rooms for children and 2 for mothers. In total, RiO can host about 100 people per day.

Helping Children

  1. Children will find there interesting proposals for educational and development activities – including Polish and English lessons.
  2. Toddlers will be provided with the care of qualified pedagogical staff, as well as the support of psychologists and animators.
  3. We assume that the Centre will benefit approx. A thousand children.

Helping Mothers

  1. For women, there will be classes in vocational counselling, including legal advice and psychological or medical support.
  2. They will also receive help in finding a job. We also plan to employ some people in our centres, because the Warsaw Centre is a pilot project and more will be created.
  3. We estimate that, thanks to the work of one Centre, we will be able to help at least 500 women a year.

and what’s important…

We want to provide the best possible space and care and an empathic staff.
Meals will also be served on site.

How to get help from the resort

If you are Ukrainian and you have fled with your children to Poland in search of safety,
If you haven’t found a job yet,
If your child is of preschool age and needs contact with peers,
If you need psychological, medical, legal and educational support, and
You have been vaccinated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine ‐19

Get in touch!

To use our centre, just write us an email or call us:

We are waiting for you!

RiO team

Damian Kurpiewski
RiO manager

Coordinates the work of the RIO edu CENTRE. It creates a family atmosphere for children and parents. Damian is always smiling and infecting ever-one he meets with positive energy. He loves children, he loves lifting weights, swimming and mountain-walking.

Anna Słoboda
Director of Assistance
and Education Programs at Omenaa Foundation

She puts her whole heart and soul into the creation and running of the RiO Edu Centrum. She knows this place like no other, and she’s a good spirit.

Magdalena Krasińska
Manager RiO Vibe Centrum

Projekt manager RiO Vibe Centrum w Omenaa Foundation. Pedagog specjalny, terapeutka skupiająca się w swojej pracy przede wszystkim na identyfikowaniu potrzeb i wspieraniu dzieci w ich rozwoju oraz szerzeniu wiedzy psychoedukacyjnej. Propagatorka formy komunikacji „Porozumienie bez Przemocy, wyznająca zasadę, iż w kontaktach z ludźmi najważniejsze jest wysłuchanie i zrozumienie potrzeb kierujących drugą osobą.

Olena Korolova
Office worker

At RiO, I make sure that from the first minute of the visit, our guests feel the incredible energy of the Rio Edu Centre. I tell our mothers about the projects they can take part in and how their children will spend many happy hours with us. The project itself gives me a lot of energy to act upon!

Ksenia Svistunova
Professional activation:

At RiO Edu, the Centre deals with vocational counseling. She is an empathetic person and is happy to be able to help people in this way.

Tetiana Shatova
Childcare worker

I am an educated philologist of Ukrainian language and literature. I really like working with children, it gives me great satisfaction and a lot of joy. When working with children, I focus on their comprehensive development. I try to recognize their individual needs and interests and to support children in their development. For me, the smiles and joy of children is the motivation and inspiration for each day.

Irina Yanchiy
Childcare worker

She works at RiO Edu Centrum as a childcare teacher in the LAS Room. She loves it when kids are happy and smiling. She takes care of the youngest RiO patients.

Liudmyla Kyian
Childcare worker

Hi, my name is Ludmila, I’m a tutor at the RIO Edu Centre and I have a beautiful group called ‘Ocean’. I love children and to creatively work with them. For years I was working as a kindergarten teacher in Ukraine, but I also know the language and culture of Poland – and I help children adapt in Poland through art.

Viktoriia Horielova
Child psychologist

I am a child psychologist at the RIO Edu Centre, I help children and their parents in the process of adaptation in Poland. My mission is to make everyone feel safe and comfortable in our center.

Liudmyla Hospodarenko
English teacher

Teacher of English, educator of children at RiO Edu Centrum. She is always smiling – working with children is her passion!

Partners

The honorary patron of RiO Edu Centrum is Rafał Miastowski,
Mayor of the Mokotów District of the Capital City Of Warsaw.

How could you help us?

If you want to support our project, please pay into the Foundation’s account with the note:

Assistance to Ukrainian Children:
74 1140 2062 0000 4426 2800 1005

Contact us!

Damian Kurpiewski

Managing Director RiO Edu Centrum

+48 733 576 463

Magdalena Krasińska

Managing RiO Edu Centrum

+48 539 519 674

We speak Ukrainian:

Olena Korolova

Copyright RiO EDU CENTRUM / Regulations / The website uses cookies. You can read more about it in Privacy Policy.

realization: Braverya