About the Foundation

Sailors Without Borders began in 2016 as a group of sailors who went to Greece and stayed. What started as direct, informal action — helping people in distress at sea during the peak of the refugee crisis — grew into something more permanent. We were not an organisation yet. We were people with boats, skills, and a conviction that standing by was not an option.

Over the years, the work expanded. From search and rescue in the Aegean to humanitarian aid convoys in Ukraine, from housing refugees in Poland to funding rescue equipment for partner organisations in the Mediterranean — the scope changed, but the principle did not.

On 6 May 2022, Sailors Without Borders was formally registered as a foundation under Polish law, supervised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, and headquartered in Warsaw. We remain apolitical and unaffiliated with any religion. We are transparent about where we came from: activists first, institution second. We are not ashamed of either.

Our Mission

SWB exists to provide help wherever it is most needed — on the water, at borders, in conflict zones, and in communities hosting people forced to flee. We act when human life is at risk. We do not wait for conditions to be ideal.

Our Goals

The Foundation’s statutory goals — as registered — cover a wide range of humanitarian, legal, and social activities. In practice, they translate into the following commitments:

Our Team