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Ukrainian Refugees in Germany: The Question of Integration

2022-03-19T18:02:32.390Z


Around 200,000 people from Ukraine have reached Germany so far. Many will need a long-term perspective - and must be integrated. But the distribution itself is a challenge.


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A primary school in Dusseldorf.

18 children from Ukraine in a classroom.

Children who had to flee the war in their home country, who were torn from their old lives, separated from their friends and now find themselves in a foreign country whose language they do not speak.

OT Aleksandra Artemova, teacher

That's so super important.

I think it's really nice that they can get back to normal life so quickly.

I think that's really beautiful.

A piece of normality - but the provisional lessons are not a permanent solution.

OT Kornelius Knittel, Principal

It's really just support.

We can't speak of schooling just yet, because this week we wanted to wait and see how many children are really coming and they have come to us from all over the city.

And now the point is that we children - yes, have to decide where we school the children, which children we can school and which children may need to be schooled elsewhere.

Change of location: Eichenau near Munich.

Firefighters prepare a gym as an emergency shelter.

At least a roof over their heads for the newcomers that the community is expecting.

Most still arrive by train in the big cities, in Berlin or Munich.

After the chaos of the first few days, when volunteers mainly took care of the tired and sometimes desperate people themselves, there is now support from the state.

But:

OT Wolfgang Schäuble, Head of the Munich Crisis Management Team Ukraine

The distribution option has basically been created for now.

And the difficulty remains that people are flocking to the metropolitan areas and the difficulties of relocation because of the free choice of where to stay.

And how one could come to a reasonable solution here: This would have to take place before arrival, by directing buses and trains, sometimes in – via detours in the classic area districts.

Only a small proportion of the approximately 200,000 Ukrainian war refugees who have reached Germany are finding shelter in private homes.

For the rest, a permanent home must be found - and a perspective that goes beyond mere accommodation and care.

OT Franziska Giffey, Governing Mayor of Berlin

I think we are well advised to focus on integration right from the start and to ensure: integration through normality.

To wait and think everything will be fine and people will go back real quick just wastes time.

In view of the devastating destruction in Ukraine that is being carried out in a targeted manner by Putin's invasion troops, returning for most of the refugees is unthinkable in the short and probably medium term.

It may never be possible for many.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-03-19

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