Donations and Aid for Ukraine - A Bridge of Solidarity

Ivanychi is located in the extreme west of Ukraine, near the border with Poland. Mayor Claudia Lange and the crisis team of the town of Erzhausen coordinated with the mayor of Ivanychi and the local hospital to determine what was most urgently needed. The response was swift: Erzhausen’s SVE, the refugee aid organization, Forget-Me-Not e.V., the partnership association, the local pharmacy, the volunteer fire department, and the local chapter of the German Red Cross specifically called for donations, and the response was overwhelming.

By the following weekend, four vehicles loaded with currently needed aid supplies such as medical equipment, as well as camping stoves and gas cartridges, food, blankets, bedding, and other material goods, were on their way to the Ukrainian-Polish border. From there, the supplies were transferred to Ukrainian vehicles and taken directly to Ivanychi. On the return trip, the helpers also brought back five adults and 12 children and adolescents to Erzhausen, who were taken in by host families.

The bridge of aid that has been built will continue to be expanded. A 7.5-ton truck was specifically purchased by the Forget-Me-Not association for transport and will remain in Ukraine to serve well there. On the last weekend, on March 11, aid and donations went directly to Ukraine again.

The Peter Ustinov Foundation bows to the great commitment of the people in Erzhausen and is pleased to support this ongoing aid action.