Homeless Men in Poland Build Ship to Sail Around the World

Text by Laura Buckley

In the yard of a former tractor factory in Warsaw, Poland, two dozen men are weaving a grand tale of adventure, escape, and redemption, according to Nicholas Kulish's article in The New York Times.

Twenty-five homeless men at the St. Lazarus Social Pension decided to tackle what many people with financial support would consider ambitious: build a 55-foot hull ship and sail it around the world. The Times has some great photographs, and a Polish website has a nice video of the men at work (note: the narration is in Polish).

The project began three years ago under the direction and tutelage of Father Buguslaw Paleczny to help give these men—some of whom were former welders—direction and purpose. In 2006, a shipbuilding author donated his boat plans. Since then the project has kept on course through Father Paleczny’s earnings, donations, and sponsorships. Although no company has donated the steel for the hull for free, it was sold at a reduced price.

Only a dozen people, including a professional captain, will eventually sail when the boat finally hits the seas. "While some of the homeless men called it a lifelong dream, others said they preferred working on the ship to sailing the seas in it," Kulish writes. Even though the ship is almost finished, no date has been set for its maiden voyage.