At least thirty volunteers are working in Laren this weekend to transform an old bank building into a very comfortable reception location for Ukrainian refugees. A number of refugees already live in the building, but there was no inventory for a number of rooms. One e-mail to a home furnishing store in the area was enough. This morning a truck drove up, filled with beds, sofas and cupboards, tonight the building is ready for a new batch of refugee Ukrainians.
carrying furniture for shelter Ukrainians in Larense former bank – NH Nieuws
The truck is emptied by volunteers from the citizens’ initiative that coordinates aid to the refugees. One of the volunteers is mayor Nanning Mol, who energetically walks back and forth with pillows and cupboards.
“I’m also a resident of Laren, so I help too,” says a proud mayor, wearing a sweater and jeans for the occasion. The building has been renovated and partially furnished in the past month and also offers space for the radio station Radio Ukraine which makes broadcasts especially intended for Ukrainian refugees.
Laren attics exhausted
For weeks, volunteers gathered to restore the former bank building on the Mayor of Nispen van Sevenaerstraat to decorate. But at a certain point the attics and barns in Laren were empty and rooms were still not set up in them. “We saw that we still needed supplies for twelve rooms,” says Marc Vos, chairman of the citizens’ initiative.
On a Sunday afternoon he sent an email to the Home Furnishing Store nearby and was surprised by a prompt reply. “That shopkeeper reacted so spontaneously that today there is a truck in front of the door with beautiful things from their outlet, we are completely overwhelmed”.
Comfortably furnished
As a result of the generous donation, the reception in the old bank building can compete in comfort with a chic hotel. “It’s like a hotel too,” says one of the volunteers who removes the labels from small pillows. “The rooms are beautiful and Rivièra Maison has delivered beautiful items so we are very happy” she says.
When asked whether there is much interest in coming to Laren, Marc Vos hastens to say that the citizens’ initiative does not select refugees. But he admits: “I can imagine that refugees who see pictures of this building elsewhere in the country think, well Laren, that is a nice place. But we are not about that. We just place people supplied by the municipality,” said chairman Marc Vos, who emphasizes that luxury does not matter, but that it is about offering people a future.
Coaching
“We would like the refugees to really be able to land in Laren,” says Marc Vos. Even after the first arrival, volunteers will be ready for the refugees to help them find their way in society by answering questions such as: where do you do your shopping and how can you go to a doctor.
The citizens’ initiative also has a number of interpreters who can assist if necessary. There are also plans for language lessons in the large hall of the former Rabobank building. The board of the citizens’ initiative takes into account that Ukrainians seeking refuge in Laren will need at least two years of guidance.