Relief goods transport 8.10. – 21.10.2022
Current situation in Vinnytsia and Bar/Central Ukraine
The situation in Ukraine remains tense. The effects of the war, which has been going on for several months now, can be felt everywhere. After the missile attack on the city centre of Vinnytsia in mid-July with many civilian casualties and the intensified air attacks on many cities in Ukraine in the week beginning 10.10.2022, the war in Vinnytsia is also clearly noticeable. Also during my stay, several kamikaze drones were shot down over the city by air defences. The air-raid alert that characterises the everyday life of the people there several times a day and during the night is now also taken very seriously in Vinnytsia . The number of seriously injured people from embattled eastern Ukraine who are receiving final treatment in the city’s hospitals has risen significantly again.
Furthermore, 170,000 refugees are permanently staying in the Vinnytsia region, waiting for the end of the war and the possibility to return home. As the men are deployed at the front, mainly refugee women and children (over 50%) are staying in the region and need to be provided with all the necessities of life.
On 5.10.22 and 10.10.22 this time 2 fully loaded trucks with 30 tons of relief goods left Lüneburg and were unloaded on 11.10.22 and 13.10.22 in my presence at the logistics centre in Winnyzja and further distributed to the various recipients.
Trip to the Kherson area/Eastern Ukraine
On 18-19.10.22 we travelled to the frontline area around the city of Kherson with the aim of getting to know the situation of the people in this region, which has been severely affected by the war, and to discuss the current need for humanitarian aid and the possibilities of distributing it locally. After an 8-hour drive over roads that had recently become very bad, we arrived in the former frontline area in the Kherson region. Most of the houses in the villages we visited were badly damaged and the landscape was scarred by the war. Cows that had run into minefields lay dead in the meadows and the land was littered with impact marks from the missile attacks, all in all a ghostly scenery…
Conclusion of the trip to Kherson
The distance from our previous supply centre in Winnyzja is very long (800 km) and the road conditions are difficult for larger trucks to drive on for the last 50 km. Most people have left the region and are internally displaced in the areas of Ukraine further away from the front, which offer them relative safety where they need to be supplied. The people who are still in the Kherson region are being cared for by local Ukrainian aid organisations, which in turn are being supplied by institutions and organisations from, for example, the Vinnytsia region/central Ukraine.
Thus, as a result of our visit to the Kherson region, we come to the following conclusions:
- The distance for direct aid deliveries to the Kherson region is too far, the transport routes are difficult and a direct supply is therefore not reasonably possible.
- Most of the civilian population of the Kherson region is currently in other areas in Ukraine and needs both humanitarian and medical care there.
- Our previous focus on supplying Ukraine with relief goods in Vinnytsia city and region has proven successful, as both humanitarian aid and medical care for a large number of refugees, including from the Kherson region, are organised here. This is where we organise both humanitarian and medical care for a large number of refugees, including those from the Kherson region.
- Meaningful care for the remaining people in the eastern contested areas of Ukraine is only possible through local forces. Thus, supporting the structures supplying these local organisations in the hinterland makes more sense and is much more effective.
- Due to the unpredictable danger situation in the area around Kherson and similar regions in eastern Ukraine, deployments due to increased danger in the field do not appear responsible and sensible.
- The support of Ukraine with humanitarian aid transports from Lüneburg should also be carried out in the future via the structures and persons in Winnyzja who have proven themselves so far. This will ensure an effective use of the aid supplies with maximum benefit for the people in Ukraine also in the future.
We thank the Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kherson Oblast for escort and security during our stay in the frontline area.
The load (30 tonnes in total)
- 31 double-stacked Euro pallets of nougat pellets and 1 pallet of honey muesli from DeVauGe Lüneburg,
- 5000 cans of herring in tomato sauce, Appel Company
- 6000 Ready meals, Appel company
- 3 Euro pallets with food parcels from schools in Bleckede and Lüneburg
- 200 removal boxes with winter clothing, sleeping bags, blankets from the clothing collection at Hof Schlüter in September and early October 2022.
- 2 ultrasound machines for Pyrogova Hospital Vinnytsia,
- 1 ultrasound scanner and medical. Device for district hospital Bar/Region Winnyzja
- 1 tablet and software for stress measurement of the vegetative nervous system. Nervous system for med. Faculty of the University of Vinnytsia
- 12 boxes of German books for Winnyzja City Library (LüneBuch Lüneburg)
- 8 Euro pallets of food from the Matthäus parish in Lüneburg for refugees in Kiev
Explanation/thanks
to 1.
Thanks to the mediation of Andre Novotny and the Hof Schlüter Foundation in Lüneburg, we were able to buy a large quantity of nougat pellets at a particularly favourable price. Many thanks to all involved.
to 2. and 3.
Thanks to the support of the company Appel, Cuxhaven, we were able to buy canned fish and ready meals in larger quantities at a very reasonable price.
Thanks to a generous donation from the “Step by Step” association from Münster, we were able to cover the costs for 6000 ready-made meals.
Many thanks to Christian Stock and the association “Step by Step” from Münster.
Many thanks to the Appel company and Mr Broschart to Cuxhaven.
to 4.
From the 3rd food parcel campaign of schools from Bleckede and Lüneburg, many parcels with durable food for refugee families could again be taken to Winnyzja and have again caused great joy there. The letters from the children were also received with gratitude and emotion.
Our heartfelt thanks to all the children, parents and teachers of the participating schools. Thanks also to the comrades-in-arms from “Aktionsbündnis Ukraine-Hilfe” from Bleckede for their active support in collecting the parcels.
to 5.
After the article and appeal in the Lünepost and the article in the LZ about the action of the Hof Schlüter Foundation and LHU e.V., many people from Lüneburg and the surrounding area brought a large amount of winter clothing, sleeping bags, warm blankets etc. to Hof Schlüter. These were then sorted, packed and labelled there (result: 200 removal boxes !).
We would like to thank the Hof Schlüter Foundation, the refugees involved and the countrywomen from Brackede for their great work in handling these large quantities of clothing etc., sorting them and making them ready for transport. We would also like to thank all those who spontaneously helped us with the sorting and packing of their clothing donations.
Many thanks also to the Lünepost and LZ editors for their support with the newspaper articles.
to 6. and 7.
Medical equipment was handed over for the Pyrogova hospital and the hospital in Bar. Medical equipment was handed over. As a large proportion of the severely injured from the frontline areas are treated in the hospitals of the Vinnytsia region, the equipment supplied is an important support in the treatment of the victims.
of the medical. The devices are needed to improve patient care, especially in the intensive care units, for diagnostics and monitoring the course of treatment. The devices are needed to improve patient care, especially in the intensive care units, for diagnostics and monitoring the course of treatment, e.g. to detect severe internal bleeding in time and to avoid risky and stressful transports for diagnostics within the hospital by using them directly at the bedside.
Many thanks to Dimitri Rokschanski and the company Abken Medizintechnik from Wunstorf for the favourable procurement prices and the professional advice and support in selecting the equipment.
to 8.
The med. A device for non-invasive measurement of the vegetative nervous system was handed over to the medical faculty of the University of Vinnytsia. Nervous System. After explanation and demonstration, this modern diagnostic system will be used to analyse the stress level of patients. The leading professors of the faculty expressed their gratitude for this extension of the diagnostic possibilities. Immediately, a discussion began about the possible applications in basic research for stress under war conditions, anti-stress training for injured persons and an investigation of the acceleration of wound healing and reduction of the risk of infection in larger wounds through targeted vagus stimulation. A discussion of the results and possible applications was arranged for the next visit planned for December.
Many thanks to the Gorsolke family and the company Commit for the temporary provision of the necessary software.
to 9.
Great joy was caused by the shipment of 12 boxes of German-language books from the LüneBuch bookshop in Lüneburg. They will be made available to the population in the “German section” of the city library.
Many thanks to Mrs Anderle and the management of LüneBuch Lüneburg for the substantial donation, also on behalf of the staff of the Winnyzja City Library and the future readers.
to 10.:
The Matthew congregation took 8 Euro pallets of food for their partners in Kiev and forwarded them to Kiev.
Many thanks to the Matthäus-Gemeinde Lüneburg for their contribution to the transport costs.
Conclusion relief supplies
The support of the Winnytsia region through our relief goods transports continues at a high level, thanks to your help. The focus on the previous destination, the Vinnytsia region, should be maintained.
So far, 145 tonnes of relief goods with a total value of approximately € 919,000 have been transported in 8 accompanied transports (10 trucks).
The benefit ratio is currently about 1 to 7 (1 Euro donation = 7 Euro value of goods transported).
Cooperation projects/partnerships
Several projects initiated during the last stays are still being developed:
Partnerships schools
The partnerships between the Gymnasium Bleckede and Gymnasium in Bar/Region Winnyzja as well as between Elbtal-Grundschule Bar are developing. From the theatre group of the Gymnasium Bleckede the proceeds of € 1000.- were handed over for the theatre group of the Gymnasium Bar, as well as a large TV screen. Contacts between the primary schools are also developing.
Partnership Klinikum Lüneburg and HGZ Bad Bevensen with Pyrogova Hospital Winnyzja and District Hospital Bar
Medical equipment was donated to the hospitals by our clinics. Medical equipment was donated and handed over. In addition, the staff of Lüneburg Hospital collected € 10,000 in a fundraising campaign by the employees, which will be used for the purchase of medical equipment and medical supplies during our next transport in December. Equipment and med. The money will be used to purchase medical equipment and supplies for the partner hospitals in the Winnyzja region.
Partnership between the Vocational School for Agriculture in Lüneburg and Bar/Region Winnyzja
During the visit to the agricultural school in Bar, a concept proposal for a future-oriented partnership between the two schools was drawn up, which will be forwarded to the agricultural school in Lüneburg. The first step will be a visit of a delegation of students and teachers from the school in Bar in spring 2023. Here, joint projects are to be discussed, such as the development of organic farming according to EU standards, the pilot project “Establishment of a Highland herd” under organic conditions according to EU standards, and much more.
Partnership between the Vocational School for Automotive Trades Lüneburg and Bar/Region Winnyzja
During the visit to the vocational school for automotive crafts in Bar, the first steps in the further development of the partnership between the schools were discussed. A visit by a delegation of pupils and teachers is considered possible by the Ukrainian side in the coming year.
The proposal for a cooperation project between Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, the Technical University of Vinnytsia and the vocational schools is awaiting a decision by the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. A decision is expected before the end of the year.
In preparation for further steps and joint projects of the partnership, the visit of the director of the vocational school in Bar to Lüneburg was agreed and prepared for the last week of October this year.
Project “Stress Management” with med. Faculty of the University of Vinnytsia
A cooperation in stress research and the application of stress management techniques in patient treatment was agreed with the med. A cooperation in stress research and the application of stress management techniques in patient treatment was agreed with the medical faculty of the university.
Conclusion of the development of partnerships
After the regional directorate of the Vinnytsia region had expressed the request during my last visit in July of this year to initiate promising projects and the development of partnerships, we developed some project ideas and initiated partnerships in the areas of schools, hospitals, agriculture, automobile trade/production and medical science. Science.
The active participation of the respective partners gives hope for a good and exciting further development, which points beyond the current aid in times of war in Ukraine and creates hope for a common peaceful future and cooperation in mutual support and friendship. In particular, the multifaceted commitment of our children and schools gives hope for a good common future for the generations to come.
Our special thanks for supporting our last transport go to:
- Andre Novotny, Walter Beck, Mykola Dashkevych, Hof Schlüter Foundation, Lüneburg
- Alliance Ukraine Emergency Aid, Bleckede Civic Association
- Oldtimer friends „Elbtalaue“ Bleckede e.V
- Christiane Ramm, “Landfrauen Brackede”
- DeVauGe, Lüneburg
- Mr Broschart, Appel Company, Cuxhaven
- Children and parents of the schools from Bleckede and Lüneburg
- Ms Anderle, LüneBuch from Lüneburg
- Family Dr. Gert Maichel, Matthew congregation Lüneburg
- Werner Kolbe, Landeszeitung Lüneburg
- Editors Lünepost, Lüneburg
- Dr. Moormann and Prof. Kuchrzik, Lüneburg Clinic
- Prof. Weiss, Rotarier Club Lüneburg
- Family Beate Bodendorf, Webwork Bleckede
- Family Sabrina Peters, textda Lüneburg
