The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, known locally as Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy (or WOŚP in short), is Poland's largest non-profit - which also tops the lists of the country's most trusted public entities and strongest brands.
Founded by journalist and activist Jurek Owsiak, and going strong since 1993, the Orchestra has gathered an inflation-adjusted total exceeding three-quarters of a billion Euro across all editions. These funds, coming from individual and institutional donors, are used to support the notoriously underfunded Polish healthcare.
In 2026 the Orchestra's grand finale will be held for the 34th time already - taking place on Sunday, January 25th. This year's motto is "healthy tummies of our children" - and the proceedings will support Polish hospitals' purchases of equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in the youngest patients.
Events related to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity's 2026 grand finale events will take place across Poland and in 25 countries abroad - including the action's debuts in Malta and India. More than 1,5 thousand staff members and over 120,000 volunteers will be responsible for the collection, holding both tangible and virtual collection boxes. Once again, the main stage and the actions' headquarters will be located around the National Stadium in Warsaw.
Tens of thousands of online auctions are also being held to benefit the Orchestra. The most sought-after of them, like unique memorabilia (eg. Iga Świątek's tennis racket from the 2025 Wimbledon she championed) and public figure meetings (eg. having coffee with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk), already exceeded the €25,000 mark - and are still rising.
For those who support the fundraiser, the Foundation has prepared over 40 million stickers with its red heart emblem, which have been the symbol of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity since its inception.
During last year's 33rd Grand Finale, aimed to support pediatric oncology and hematology, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity raised almost 69 million Euro. Meanwhile, the 2026 edition already has almost 700,000 Euro in its account - as such is the declared sum from its ongoing online charitable auctions and other pre-agreed donations. This fares well for breaking yet another collection record this year - which happens with almost every next instalment of this honourable action since 1993.
Across 34 years of its activity, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity has raised a humongous amount close to (inflation-adjusted) 750 million Euro, used to purchase over 80,000 pieces of top-class equipment for public hospitals across Poland.
"If someone had told me 34 years ago that we would be talking about this kind of money, I would have been terrified and afraid to have even tried to handle this. But if something is done consistently, step by step, with millions of Poles, together we can achieve extraordinary things" - said Jerzy Owsiak, the founder and head of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, at a press conference before this year's fundraiser finale.
As usual, Polish Radio is providing a broad support for the Orchestra, and all of its programs have prepared special charity auctions for the cause. These include the chance to join a live broadcast of a charitable football match as one of the commentators, a piano masterclass with maestro Piotr Pawlak, performing as the triangle player with the Polish Radio Orchestra, getting a role in the legendary radio drama "Matysiakowie" which goes on since 1956, and the opportunity to bid on the first press' first copy of the "Tomasz Stańko Polish Radio Sessions" vinyl box set.
Although, as many people duly note, funding public healthcare should first and foremost be properly handled by the state, and not rely on charities - millions chip in year by year to help the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity in saving thousands of lives, becoming a part of this benevolent movement.
So, keep an eye out for volunteers with the action's heart emblem and collection boxes, scout the internet for related charity auctions, or support this honourable movement in any other way you see fit - and help the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity do even more good!
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Source: PAP, IAR