20 Ukrainian children for a time-out in Erlangen

The great willingness of Erlangen residents and companies to donate and the helpfulness of many volunteers made it possible for the city administration to put together a varied program for the children and carry out the leisure activities.

Eleven girls and nine boys

The group from Browary consists of eleven girls, nine boys and two accompanying adults. The children share the terrible experiences of war. Each of the children either has a family member who is currently fighting in the war or has already fallen victim to it. It is impossible to estimate the consequences of these serious burdens. But at least for ten days, the children can find some peace and quiet here, relax and just be children.

A varied program

For the program, experience and ideas were gathered from various sources such as the Stadtjugendring and the municipal children's culture office. The project was very well received. Many organizations offered their help directly or even free visits and admission:

• The bakery Der Beck sponsored a tour of the bakery including baking pretzels
• The municipal department for sport and health promotion granted the children free entry to the Röthelheimbad swimming pool. The group from sports-loving Browary particularly wanted to visit a swimming pool.

Overall, care was taken when planning the activities,

• that it is varied and age-appropriate
• that the wishes and needs of the group can be catered for
• that there are volunteers who can translate between German and Ukrainian.

Contact with the numerous Ukrainian helpers was established primarily through the Association of Ukrainians in Franconia. Thanks to the mediation of the employees of PACT4Ukraine at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg to the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Association in Nuremberg, two excursions to Nuremberg were also planned.

The children spend most of their time at the youth farm in Erlangen. There they take part in vacation care. "This also brings them into contact with children from Erlangen and they don't just stay among themselves," explains Sabrina Zöller, the responsible employee in the International Relations department. Mayor Florian Janik welcomed the group there.

Psychological recovery is most important

Karolina Ruskava accompanied the group from Browary. She would like to thank everyone who contributed to the organization and implementation of the retreat. She greatly appreciates the support. She is also grateful that the children are coming to Germany for the first time. There is so much for them to see here. But the most important thing is the psychological recovery. These thanks do not only go to the city in the sense of the administration. It also goes to each and every one of those who donated and made the project of this recreation camp possible.

Request for the recreation camp came from Browary

In mid-April, Mayor Florian Janik received an official request from his counterpart Igor Sapozhko. The mayor asked him to consider organizing a recreational camp for children. As children are one of the most vulnerable groups, especially in armed conflicts, the request was handled by the Mayor's Office for Equal Opportunities and Diversity/International Relations.

However, it was clear from the outset that funding would not be possible without additional financial support. A broad appeal for donations was therefore launched in May. Although the war in Ukraine has already been raging for two years, the willingness to donate proved to be unbroken. "On the one hand, we would like to thank the major donors, Bürgerstiftung Erlangen, Elektrobit Automotive GmbH, Sparkasse Erlangen-Höchststadt and Siemens AG, and on the other hand, in particular, the many people from Erlangen who made private donations," says Sabrina Zöller. Even in the short period from May to July, the required 20,000 euros were raised. This large sum enabled the children from Browary to be invited along with two accompanying adults.

Photo: City of Erlangen