Welcome for the guests from Ukraine
Created: 04/12/2022, 07:01
By: Sandra Sedlmaier
Tomorrow afternoon there will be a welcome party for the Ukrainian refugees in Aufkirchen.
There will also be a devotional according to the orthodox rite.
And a problem is approaching: After Easter, places have to be found for the 32 people who have found accommodation in the "Word of Life".
32 families from the Ukraine are housed in Unterallmannshausen Castle near the “Word of Life” youth organization.
Our photo shows the castle with press spokesman Stefan Petersen.
© Andrea Jaksch
Aufkirchen/Berg
– 108 refugees from Ukraine are currently in the municipality of Berg.
At least that's the number known to the asylum helpers' group.
"Many have found direct private accommodation or have been placed through private contacts," reports Iradj Teymurian from the Asylum Helpers' Group in the municipality of Berg.
"Only eight people came through the district office." The welcome party of the circle of helpers on Wednesday, April 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. for Ukrainian families in the municipality of Berg is therefore equally important for the guests, their hosts and the helpers.
The guests should get to know each other, the hosts as well, and everyone should get to know each other.
"And we from the helpers' group want to get to know them and find out what jobs they have," says Teymurian.
Perhaps there are teachers or childcare workers among the guests who want to help out with the relevant offers for Ukrainian children.
According to Teymurian, 55 of the 108 Ukrainians are under the age of 17.
"We will put up a map of Ukraine on which the guests can pin their home town if they want," says Verena Machnik from the volunteer group.
So people from the same places could find each other.
The same is to be done with a card from Berg.
"Then you can see if there are Ukrainian families in the neighborhood."
At the request of many refugees, a prayer service is held in the Aufkirchner church after the two-hour welcome party.
It is held by Deacon Jozef Golian.
"He will hold them in Ukrainian and also according to the Orthodox rite," reports Teymurian.
Golian came from Poland and studied both Catholic and Orthodox theology.
The Berger helper group is overwhelmed by the willingness to help from the population.
"It's nothing like 2015," says Teymurian.
Many godparents have reported, says Machnik.
Sponsorships by young people for young people are planned.
Young people who themselves come from refugee families and have been living in Berg for a long time were also interested in this.
An art project for 10 to 17 year olds is also in preparation.
Schools and churches are also very helpful, says Machnik.
A sports integration project, which the group of helpers organized before Christmas with private donations, is running in the Katharina-von-Bora-Haus of the Protestant church.
This project is visited by refugee children who lived in Berg before the Ukraine war.
There should be another one for the Ukrainian children.
The Catholic deacon Golian helps, among other things, as a translator.
The Oskar-Maria-Graf elementary school offered to accept all elementary school children, and the Startchance Foundation also accepts Ukrainian students, Machnik said.
"The Montessori school in Biberkor has already accepted 30 students, some from Munich, and has made commitments for another 15 students," reported Machnik, who sits on the municipal council for the Greens, recently on the committee.
From an institutional point of view, the circle of helpers would like more help.
"The district office doesn't manage to organize everything," says Teymurian.
Machnik refers to essential things: the possibility of going to the doctor, for example.
"We have a family that actually has no more money," reports Machnik.
"And the banks don't exchange the Ukrainian currency." Machnik, who has been involved in the volunteer group for a long time, speaks of a "déjà vu": "The main burden seems to be on the shoulders of the volunteers."
Help is still needed, in any form.
Specifically, after Easter, when the youth organization "Word of Life" (WdL) resumes operations.
Then new places would have to be found for the 32 Ukrainian families currently living there.
However, Teymurian is confident that a solution will be found.
"No one is thrown out on the street."