Using German in Ukraine......

So today was spent trying to work out what and where we could work.. The good thing is we have a clearer idea of this at the end of the day 
With the aid of our translator Artur, and our new partners, a charitable organisation named MAD, (make a difference) we rolled up at various centres. The main purpose was to share info, with the hope that they would listen and put up some posters.
One was a large adminstrative centre, with many refugees passing through. However, our translator was not able to help as his main language was Russian, which is widely used in Ukraine. And the main administrator didn't speak Russian. So we ended up talking with her in German, as I speak it. Very strange. What was really interesting here was that the air raid sirens went off, the workers stopped working, but the visitors carried on as if nothing was happening. 
However we were a step further in getting permission to work there....à few emails to be sent.
The second was a large humanitarian distribution center with whom we think we will get involved in some way or another, distributing humanitarian aid items that have been given to us.
The third was one of the main refugee centres based in Lviv. We are awaiting the outcome of whether we can be based here, but we may have one foot in the door.

This really takes it out on one's feet, all this walking. Oh for younger legs.

Whilst this was going on we had to move apartments. The place where we were was truly awful. There was no way to survive there. We have found something better thank goodness.However the stairs left something to be desired.

There is a curfew in Lviv from 23:00.... which is for the most part adhered to. Can't go too far without realising that there's a war on here.
And just this moment as I was finishing this blog the sirens have gone off.....

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Third Christmas of the War.

Image
I remember when we first went to Ukraine, we thought we'd better hurry up and get over there to help before the war finished, and there'd be nothing for us to do. How naïve were we? The situation in Ukraine at present has got even worse, especially in the areas in close contact with the Russian forces, although with the constant Shahed and missile attacks nowhere is safe. Kherson has become particularly difficult, and delivering aid there is a direct threat to life. Any vehicle or person can be targeted by Russian small killer drones. This week, a vehicle that is used to deliver aid that we have sometimes used, was attacked and badly damaged beyond repair. Miraculously, the driver, a person I know survived but suffered injuries.  The occupants of a bus were not so fortunate. It was attacked, 3 people died and several more injured. It's really terrifying.  What's really sick is that the Russian's then post o...
Read more

The killing goes on.

Image
Time diminishes things. News cycles bring new, more pressing concerns. But the war here in Ukraine grinds on, with deaths a daily occurrence. The killing seems to have become more incideous and heartless.This weekend in Kherson, delivering aid, under the fairly constant sound of artillery and drone attacks, I heard and saw the inhumanity of this senseless war. There is now a real tangible fear about going out in your car in Kherson. Over the last few months, individual cars have been targeted by Russian drones. These carry small bombs or grenade type munitions. . A car is targeted. An initial bomb dropped. The man realises he's  being targeted and tries to drive away at high speed. He then stops suddenly, hoping to get away. Opens his door to run away, but about two metres away from the car a small bomb explodes. With the door open, nothing seems to happen, then as in slow motion, a man falls from the driver's seat onto the road. Dead. It...
Read more

Krakow to Lviv

Image
We left Krakow at 3am because we had heard that there have been up to 3 hour waits on the Poland-Ukraine border. The balance has changed to more people returning to Ukraine (to the relatively safe western Lviv region) than leaving Ukraine. As it happened, we drove through the fairly haphazard border controls with no hold up. The first thing we noticed on the Ukrainian side were miles (literally) of lorries lining the side of the highway, which was only 2 lanes so made for fairly scary driving. On the Polish side was an equally long line of parked cars, waiting to be sold. We also noticed more potholes on Ukrainian roads than even East Lancashire! The purpose of our visit to Ukraine is 2-fold: firstly, we drove our friend, Romana, home to Lviv (in her car) with her 4-year-old daughter, as she decided against coming to England in order to be with her husband and family. Secondly, w...
Read more