Town twinning association organizes relief action together with refugees from Rheine
When Oleksandr Karpov and Nadiia Senko tell their story, it sends shivers down your spine, the experienced journalist’s hand trembles a little while taking notes despite all his experience, and the lump in your throat seems to get thicker and thicker.
Oleksandr and Nadiia fled Ukraine, she from Kiev, he from near Zaporizhzhya. A few months ago Nadiia came to Rheine after a long and dangerous flight with her two-year-old daughter. Oleksandr arrived in Hauenhorst with his wife and two children at the beginning of last year and found accommodation with a member of the twinning association. In the meantime, the Karpov family and Mrs. Senko and their daughter have found apartments. She teaches German to Ukrainian children at the Kopernikus Gymnasium and acted as an interpreter at the meeting. He, a trained engineer, organizes aid for people in Ukraine.
However, the conversation with the treasurer of the twinning association, Ingrid Brauer, was not primarily about the terrible experiences reported by almost all refugees from the war zone; the reason for the meeting was a glimmer of hope that unites all participants.
A few weeks ago, an employee of the “Saint Nicholas Clinic” in Zaporizhzhya, the large city on the Dnieper River with a former population of 700,000, had contacted his friend Oleksandr and asked him to look for and, if possible, to buy certain power generators. What would be needed were gensets suitable for running sensitive electronics, for example in medical equipment.
Oleksandr has close ties to the region, as his family is from there and some family members are still stuck in the Russian-occupied town of Tokmak near Zaporizhzhya.
In this case, too, Oleksandr Karpov was glad of the support of the member of the twinning association, who spontaneously offered his help.
At the same time, Karpov started a fundraising campaign among fellow Ukrainian refugees. This raised about 6000 dollars, or about 5000 euros. This financed the first ten units, which run on gasoline and have USB ports for charging cell phones. Cell phones play an important role in Ukraine because other means of communication, such as the telephone, have been almost completely eliminated. Through a generous donation from a member and from the donation pot of the twinning association, another 13 devices could be purchased.
The devices were purchased and temporarily stored in Köthen in Saxony-Anhalt, where other acquaintances of Oleksandr have been living for years. The first three units have now arrived in Zaporizhzhya and on Monday the remaining 20 units were sent on their way. First with a forwarding company financed from donations via Poland to Liew. From there, a vehicle from the clinic picked up and returned the units, so that the 2200-kilometer transport was as cost-effective as possible.
The units are not huge aggregates that can supply an entire clinic with electricity, but mobile units. This means that smaller towns in the catchment area, where the hospital has bases, can also be supplied with electricity.
The initially oppressive atmosphere of the conversation has faded and is increasingly turning into euphoria. Oleksandr, Nadia and the members of the twinning association agree: through direct contact with the hospital, they know that they have been able to provide concrete help in the shortest possible way. Every cent goes directly to the hospital in Zaporizhzhya and this should not be the last help from Rheine. “We urgently need further donations in order to be able to purchase additional power generators but also mobile water treatment plants,” those involved agreed on the further course of action.
So that this assistance can be continued, the association asks urgently for further donations on the account of the town twinning association, IBAN DE 65 4035 0005 0000 0642 53 with the city savings bank Rheine, keyword “donation action Ukraine”.
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