On October 26, a delegation of the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag (Parliament) visited the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Ukraine. The delegates spoke with ADRA staff from Germany and Ukraine about ongoing projects, upcoming challenges, and the work in general. The focus of the conversation was ADRA's emergency aid "for particularly vulnerable population groups" in Ukraine itself.
"We are very pleased that we were able to present ADRA's work to the representatives of the German Bundestag," said Christian Molke, chairman of the board of ADRA Deutschland e.V. The relief organisation accompanies people from Ukraine and ensures their survival. Together with local partners and the Federal Foreign Office, it takes care of more than 50,000 refugees in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova. Food parcels, hygiene articles, and cash are distributed to the people to cover acute needs.
Psychological support too
Special attention is being paid to the so-called "vulnerable groups": elderly people, women and children need special protection and consideration, Molke reported. Part of ADRA's emergency aid would also be psychological support. The many people from Ukraine who have experienced suffering, destruction and war must be able to come to terms with their traumatic experiences, so ADRA has a team of psychologists to help them.
Prior to the visit, Christian Molke had participated in a "round table" of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on reconstruction in Ukraine. The "round table" served to prepare an international expert conference on reconstruction, which took place in Berlin on 25 October.
ADRA active in Ukraine since 2014
"ADRA was already there for the people on the line of contact in eastern Ukraine before the war escalated in February 2022," informed ADRA Board Chairman Molke. ADRA Germany had already provided humanitarian aid in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions from 2014 to 2020. The project content would have been similar to the current projects: shelter for civilians, housing repair, psychosocial health measures, access to basic medical services, food and drinking water supply. "We are still standing by to help rebuild and minimise destruction through specialised fire trucks," Molke promised.
Surviving the harsh winter
Before reconstruction, however, comes the cold season. With the arrival of winter, the task also changes. In Ukraine, temperatures drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius, and millions of Ukrainians have to cope in damaged flats and houses. They have no adequate protection against the harsh winter. ADRA therefore contributes to rent and heating costs for certain households so that people can stay in their warm accommodation. Sometimes, however, it is advisable to leave the place of residence. In such cases, ADRA offers evacuation to safe shelters in neighbouring countries. In addition, ADRA is converting 70 vacant buildings into winter-proof emergency shelters.
In anticipation of winter, additional funds are urgently needed to help families in Ukraine, he said. "We very much hope that institutional donors, such as the German Foreign Office and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) [as well as] private donors, will continue to support us in this task," Christian Molke appealed.
ADRA International
The German branch of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) was founded in 1956 and carries out development cooperation projects and humanitarian aid in disaster situations worldwide. ADRA is a non-governmental relief organisation and is supported by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. ADRA International consists of a worldwide network with 118 independent country offices and about 7,500 full-time employees. The German ADRA office, with about 50 employees, is located in Weiterstadt, near Darmstadt.
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