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We are following the war in Ukraine with great concern. Few would have thought it possible for there to be another war on European soil in the 21st century. Everything must be done to save human lives. Hostilities must cease as soon as possible. It is impossible to foresee the full economic consequences at this point in time.

As a company, we are helping needy people in specific ways. Many families have been uprooted from their homes in Ukraine and are now on the run. It is the very young who suffer most in such an abominable situation – especially if they are alone. That is why we are supporting them – and supporting the evacuation of several hundred Ukrainian children, from children’s homes and foster families belonging to the Happy Kids Foundation, to nearby Poland. Once in Lodz, Wygonin, Garczyn or Duszniki, the youngest war victims can be given safe accommodation as well as transport, food, clothing and medicines. Having been torn from their familiar environments, many of these frightened children are traumatised and in need of long-term care. Emergency aid of around €320,000 is being donated by the DEICHMANN Group, in particular our subsidiary in Poland.

For the transport of urgently needed medical supplies such as bandages, surgical disinfectants, essential medicines and sterile surgical materials from Essen directly to Ukraine, we support the foundation Universitätsmedizin Essen with a donation of €75,000.

We are also supporting refugees from Ukraine through our relief organisation wortundtat in conjunction with our partner in the Republic of Moldova: a hot meal before they move on, clean clothes to replace the ones they have been wearing for days, a pack of nappies for the youngest, a mattress to rest on for a few hours. For many refugees, the shortest route out of their embattled country is through Moldova.

In addition we are working with specialised institutions to initiate other efficient aid options for the Ukrainian population. For example, wortundtat’s Greek partner is currently in the process of setting up a help centre for Ukrainian refugees about 120 kilometres north-west of Bucharest in Romania. The same organisation also plans to offer people shelter and care in Athens, where the first Ukrainian refugees have already been arriving. We and other partners have also been looking into whether help can be provided in Ukraine itself.