The Budget Committee of the German Parliament visits ADRA in Ukraine
On Wednesday, October 26, 2022, a delegation from the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag visited ADRA in Ukraine. The Members of the parliament spoke to ADRA employees from Germany and Ukraine about the ongoing projects, upcoming challenges and the work in general. The focus of the discussion was ADRA’s emergency aid for particularly vulnerable population groups in Ukraine.
ADRA employees were pleased to present their work to the representatives of the German Bundestag.
“ADRA accompanies people from Ukraine and ensures their survival. Together with our local partners and the Federal Foreign Office, we care for more than 50,000 refugees in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova. Food parcels, hygiene items and cash are being distributed to people to cover acute needs. We pay particular attention to the vulnerable groups: older people, women and children must be given special protection and taken into account,” reports Christian Molke, ADRA Germany’s director.
Part of ADRA’s emergency aid is also psychological support. Many people from Ukraine, who have experienced suffering, destruction and war, must be able to process their traumatic experiences. “ADRA is at your side with a team of psychologists,” adds Molke.
Before the visit, Molke took part in a round table organized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development on reconstruction in Ukraine. The event served to prepare an international expert conference on reconstruction later that week in Berlin.
ADRA was there for people at the contact line even before the war escalation in February. From 2014 to 2020, ADRA Germany provided humanitarian aid in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. They provided shelter for civilians, housing repairs, psychosocial health activities, and access to basic medical services, food and drinking water supply. “We remain standing by to help rebuild and minimize destruction by special firefighting vehicles. However, before the reconstruction comes the cold season. With the arrival of winter, the activities also change,” Molke describes the next steps.
In Ukraine, temperatures reach -20 degrees Celsius, and millions of Ukrainians are struggling in damaged homes. They do not have adequate protection from the harsh winter. ADRA contributes a subsidy towards rent and heating costs for certain households so that people can stay in their warm homes.
“Sometimes it is advisable to leave your place of residence. In these cases, ADRA offers evacuation to safe shelters in neighbouring countries. In addition, ADRA is converting 70 vacant buildings into winterized emergency shelters. In anticipation of winter, additional funds are needed to help families in Ukraine. We very much hope that institutional donors, such as the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, but also private donors, will continue to support us in this task,” concludes ADRA Germany’s director.
