Town twinning association Rheine goes new ways with the Ukraine assistance
Rheine. “You can feel the infinite gratitude of the people in Ukraine in every phone call, in every e-mail!” Irina Lebsack is quite enthusiastic when she reports on her experiences with the project partners.
Since the beginning of the war, the Association for the Promotion of Town Twinning had been involved in Ukraine aid. Around 80,000 euros were made available through donations for aid transports to Ivano Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhya and other cities affected by the war. It was primarily medicines, emergency generators and breathing masks that found such grateful recipients.
For some months now, the association has been taking a new approach, partly because of a drop in donations. Three projects are supported with smaller amounts of 500 euros each. “This is also about material help, but also about the sign that we are in solidarity with the people in Ukraine and are happy to help them,” says Winfried Hülsbusch from the management of the Caritas children’s home.
Irina Lebsack is a native of Ukraine, but has lived in Rheine for twelve years. The Caritas employee is an interpreter for Ukrainian and Russian. She reports on the three projects that are supported from Rheine.
In Nikolayev (Mykolayiv), a city in southern Ukraine (before the war about 480,000 inhabitants), an institution for children with physical disabilities is supported. In the meantime, this home also cares for young children of parents who fled the immediate war zone. “Even the youngest children are diagnosed with traumas that will accompany them throughout their lives,” Irina knows from reports from Nikolayev. Since conventional psychosocial therapies are not yet effective with these small children, the two to five year olds are cared for through child-oriented therapies such as painting, singing, dancing and making music. Donations from Rheine were used to purchase painting utensils, simple musical instruments and other materials. In addition, used furnishings were purchased from the two transfers of 500 euros each.
The five to twelve year old refugee children as well as the “teenagers” are supported by two initiatives in Odessa, also in the south of Ukraine. Many people have fled there from the immediate war zones such as Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhya. “Sometimes they don’t even have the proverbial plastic bag with them. They have nothing,” Irina said.
The children receive psychological care here at the two facilities, or take part in action programs. “At the moment, some of them are in a vacation camp in the countryside, far away from the war action, so they can experience a few days without air alarms or bunker stays.
In these facilities, not only younger people are involved, but also senior citizens from the neighborhoods. These teach the children Ukrainian songs and dances.
Psychologists are available for severely traumatized children and young people. These have to be financed. The donations from Rheine are also a valuable help for this. There is also a kind of “food bank” where elderly people can obtain food and medicine. These are also taken to surrounding villages. The elderly would not leave their homes out of fear and depend on outside help.
“The three institutions keep precise records of every euro spent and send us the accounts, so that we know exactly where the money goes,” Irina Lebsack and Winfried Hülsbusch are pleased about this concrete support from the twinning association.
So that the town twinning association can continue to support these three projects, it is asking for monetary donations to the account: IBAN DE 65 4035 0005 0000 0642 53 under the keyword “Help for Ukraine” at the Stadtsparkasse Rheine. Donation receipts will be issued upon request. www.friendsineurope.com