On a drizzly Saturday afternoon it is busy at the Oldengaerde in Roden. Three men walk back and forth with boxes, which are loaded into a transport bus.
“These are 160 electric heaters, 25 generators and a hundred power banks,” explains Henk-Jan Hofman of the East-West Contacts foundation. The foundation from Roden left last night with the cargo. The items are delivered in the region around Horodnia, a city in the north of Ukraine, near the border with Belarus and Russia. That region has been hit hard by drone and missile attacks. Energy facilities have been largely destroyed. “And the winters are very cold,” Hofman describes. “The residents are completely dependent on outside help, because the recovery in that remote area is not a priority for the authorities in the country. They desperately need our help.”
The foundation feels called to provide that helping hand. They are doing this for the thirteenth time. The journey to Ukraine is different every time. “The last time we were there, in May, we saw anti-tank weapons, trenches and landmines everywhere in the area. We had never seen that before. Not much later, when we were back in the Netherlands, we heard that the area was heavily hit by missiles and drones.”
The transport was initially planned for October. “But then we received a message from the people there that it was not safe to come, again because of drone attacks. That’s why we postponed it and are going now.”
The men of the East-West Contacts foundation are not afraid. “We don’t do stupid things. We keep in touch with the people there. If they indicate that it is not safe to travel further, we wait. If they say it is possible, we continue. We will see.”
The resources are largely sponsored by the proceeds from the book market in Roden. The foundation receives 15,000 euros from this every year. An additional campaign has been set up for the purchase of the electric heaters. “I had hoped for around 750 euros. But it turned out to be no less than 6,000 euros. The generous donations indicate that our residents have not forgotten the people in Ukraine, even though the attention for the war has been pushed into the background,” Hofman notes.
The men from Roden hope to arrive in Horodnia on Tuesday and distribute the first heaters. “People are so happy. They hug and kiss you, sometimes cry and almost everyone offers food. They are so happy that we have not forgotten them.”