“Solidarity Ukraine” has now been in existence for two years.
The support campaign by municipalities and the Weilheim-Schongau district is an absolute success story, as shown in the balance sheet.
District - It was a start from zero to one hundred when the aid campaign was founded two years ago at a mayor's office meeting.
With the support of the district, the mayors Martin Pape (Polling), Markus Bader (Rottenbuch), Georg Malterer (Bernried) and Werner Grünbauer (Pähl - he was replaced by Andreas Kögl from Altenstadt after he was voted out) volunteered to coordinate the help .
Thanks to Bader's personal contacts, which he made through the German embassy during a multi-day visit to Ukraine in 2019, the Vinnytsia region with the city of Tulchyn was chosen as the main destination.
“We are very proud that we are one of the few Ukraine aid organizations that does not temporarily store the goods in Polish or Hungarian depots, but rather transports the donations directly to the recipients together with Ukrainian partners, thus providing our donors with complete and photo-documented proof of the intended purpose says Pape.
Tulchyn's mayor should come back to the district soon and a donated sprinter should then be handed over to him.
First aid transport in April 2022
While there was initially talk of a letter of solidarity, it quickly became concrete with the (soon achieved) goal of donating one euro per district resident - and in April 2022, Bader, Grünbauer and Malterer traveled personally with the first district aid transport Ukraine.
“It still makes my hair stand up when I remember it,” says Bader thoughtfully.
Two months later, Pape and Kögl drove two trucks to the Ukrainian border.
And Kögl repeats what his fellow mayors have said again and again on these occasions: “We will support as long as the war lasts.
This is a commitment.”
Of course, there have been many changes in the two years since the aid organization was founded.
The delivery points changed several times, as did the demand.
“Initially, a large part of the deliveries were clothing donations, which we received in large quantities.
The private willingness to donate was high,” recalls Pape.
“However, it was also a lot of effort to sort everything individually.”
The helpers are already thinking about the time after the war
The medium and long-term approach of “Solidarity Ukraine” is called “building bridges”.
In fact, in the past two years, many friendships and connections have been established between Ukrainians (both living in Ukraine and refugees) and citizens from the Weilheim-Schongau district, says Polling's mayor Martin Pape as coordinator.
“We were able to welcome five Ukrainian orchestras of international standing to the district; they gave benefit concerts in Weilheim, Polling and Bernried to thank them for their support of Ukraine.
It would be desirable that we also succeed in establishing contacts in the economic area,” he said.
Ukraine has already begun its reconstruction program.
“It will be a very interesting market for Western European companies.
“Small and medium-sized businesses in the Weilheim-Schongau district in particular could benefit from a head start thanks to existing contacts,” says Pape.
But in addition to optimism, the current situation also gives cause for concern.
Because the Russian aggressor is advancing, Ukraine lacks, among other things, ammunition and generally sufficient support from the West.
The mayor and the district administrator also see this.
“Two years ago we said that the situation could only be compared to the Second World War and that it could take a very long time,” says Rottenbuch Mayor Markus Bader.
That now seems to be true.
“And you always have to be aware: Putin wants to destroy Ukraine as a people, he has emphasized that often enough.”
Pallets of basic foodstuffs were purchased with monetary donations, including 1 euro donations from the communities.
There were also tools, generators, sleeping bags and sleeping mats.
An important focus was on supplying hospitals.
The Hospital GmbH also helped, including with an X-ray machine.
The monetary donations have now decreased, but the donations in kind have gotten better and better thanks to the many contacts.
The mayors and Eckhart Zimmermann, who takes care of a lot of things on a voluntary basis, are thrilled at how easy it is to work with many companies.
The EVA collects discarded crutches and wheelchairs that can be put to good use in Ukraine.
And when Zimmermann found out that the Munich Novotel was changing its room furnishings, he got in touch.
“The beds and sofas had too much volume and we didn’t need them.
But kettles do – we got them donated, 300 are now in a refugee camp in Ukraine,” says Zimmermann.
Every two months a 40-ton truck leaves the camp for Ukraine
Soon after its launch, “Solidarität Oberland” entered into cooperation with Ukrainehilfe Oberland and the aid initiative of Myroslava and Felix Schimke-Klubuk; all three complement each other well.
Since December, the “Helferschwein” association with chairman Harry Hoyler, who has a huge network, has been added.
Since we moved from a private warehouse in Achalaich a few meters away to the former WTW building, where the district made a large warehouse available, “we have also become interesting for other aid organizations,” says Zimmermann.
“You can also drive to our warehouse with a 40-ton truck, which doesn’t happen often.” The plan was to send a 40-ton truck to the Ukraine every three months, “now we’re at every two months.”
There are also many other small transports.
And there are many more to come.
Donations for “Solidarity Ukraine” can be transferred to the account of the coordinating community Polling (DE65 7035 1030 0032 6841 93) at Sparkasse Oberland.
All news and stories can also be found on the Schongauer Nachrichten Facebook page.