How YOU can help refugees from Ukraine

We have seen that the solidarity with the people fleeing the war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly big. Germans open their homes for refugees, they donate a lot of money and goods and they protest on the streets in large numbers. If you too want to help but are confused on the best way to do it, we have some links for you. Here we provide different options to help refugees from Ukraine. 

It’s important to stay focussed and first gather information on what kind of help is actually needed. We will update the links regularly. 

Gathering information 

On the website of LeaveNoOneBehind you will find all sorts of information on the current news, ways to donate, ways to help as a volunteer and ways to register organisations and initiatives for support (available in German and English) https://ukraine.lnob.net/ 

The website of the UNO Flüchtlingshilfe provides you with information on how you can voluntarily help refugees near you and of course also has options to donate money (available in German) https://www.uno-fluechtlingshilfe.de/unterstuetzen/engagieren/ehrenamtlich-helfen

Getting the right information and identifying what is Fake News can be a difficult thing to do. Find some tools to check facts here in this link. https://www.der-paritaetische.de/alle-meldungen/arbeit-mit-kindern-und-jugendlichen-im-kontext-des-krieges-in-der-ukraine. Additionally, the link provides you with strategies to talk to kids about the war in Ukraine and everything that happens around it (available in German).

Transport

Of course you can also drive to the Ukrainian border to supply goods and take people back. Please give information of the contents of the boxes with the goods in Ukrainian or Polish, so the helpers on the ground can easily sort them. Use google translator! If you want to take people back with you from the border, make sure the signs "x number of people to city XYZ" are also translated into Ukrainian. Watch the video with our founder Stephan Ottenbruch with tips and reflections on the 24h-trip he did to the Ukrainian border here!

Things you need to do when travelling to the Ukrainian border: Take sufficient food for yourself and the people you are taking back with you. Make sure you always have some extra petrol with you in case the petrol stations close or there are longer queues than expected. Take at least two people with you who can drive the car, so you'll get enough time to rest.

The official video of our 24 hour trip to the Ukrainian border, you will find here on our New2Germany Youtube Channel. The Youtuber Palak Lakhani shot the video, supporter of this trip were New2 App, Chin Meyer (https://chin-meyer.de/), Wolfram Richard Fleischhauer, the families Bronewski und Ottenbruch and the company Fröhlich Bau Kran (f-kran.de) which provided the cars and the petrol.

Accommodation

If you want to open your home to accommodate refugees, you can register on the website https://www.unterkunft-ukraine.de/offer with a lot of filters to find someone to live with you. Information is available in German, English, Ukrainian and Russian. 

Special accommodations for pets and their owners can be offered on the website https://help.tasso.net/de/#places. Of course a lot of people took their pets with them when fleeing Ukraine and not all accommodations allow pets. Information is available in German, English and Ukrainian. 

Medical Support 

For midwives and delivery nurses the Hebammenverband Brandenburg provides useful information to be able to help pregnant refugees and parents of young children from Ukraine. Find all the documents here http://www.hebammen-brandenburg.de/downloads.html

The Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA) provides multilingual information on children’s health and the work with young parents from Ukraine. Access the material here https://www.kindergesundheit-info.de/fuer-fachkraefte/mehrsprachige-materialien/

Special Focus on Children

Children are the most vulnerable group amongst refugees. To make sure their well-being is insured and they don't suffer more trauma than they already have, they need to be given special care. Read this helpful article to get to know the different requirements which should be fulfilled when helping children (in German)!

Help for the Helpers 

When helping refugees by driving towards the Ukrainian border, by accommodating a family or by being on the ground coordinating refugees who arrive in Germany, you should be aware of the different conditions of insurance for yourself. Read about it in this useful article in German https://www.dieversicherer.de/versicherer/entdecken/news/fluechtlingshilfe-versicherung-83530?fbclid=IwAR2PyY8UWUC7hGK7byfd6m59PengSeMS04wROono9uQD-oXRvvu_vbtYutA

While helping others you should also keep your own well-being in mind! Find some tips on how to deal with the responsibilities, the experiences and the stress of being a voluntary helper for refugees! https://www.caritas.de/spendeundengagement/engagieren/ehrenamt/fluechtlinge/engagement-ratgeber (in German)

If you have any questions or further information please contact us at [email protected]! 

Stay safe, take care! 

Your New2 Team