In times of war people show their best side. In Amstelveen this is the originally Ukrainian Irina Bulatova (34). She gathered a team around her that lovingly receives war refugees and provides them with everything they need.
Shop for Ukrainian refugees – NH News
“When the news about the war came, it was heartbreaking. It was really a shock and you feel helpless and powerless at that moment, because you can’t do anything,” Irina says about the first days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian must do something to help.
This leads to a house and garden full of boxes containing relief supplies. “I spent all night packing boxes on my own, because I couldn’t sleep because of all the news,” she says. Meanwhile, Irina no longer has to do it alone for a long time. A group of 50 volunteers has joined her. Many of those volunteers come from Maccabi . Foundation† Together they set up a point on the Handweg in Amstelveen where relief supplies can be brought and picked up.
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This would not have been possible without the help of the welfare organization Participe, which managed to arrange the buildings. Elena Nabatova of Participe feels inspired by Irina, who did much more in those early days. Together with ex-husband Viacheslav she founded Openhouse Foundation and helped Ukrainians to come to the Netherlands.
“They really made the difference”
“The fundraising campaigns, the buses that drove to Ukraine, the first refugees who were dropped off at her home… She ensured that the weaker people from Ukraine, such as the elderly and the disabled, were given a place in Amstelland in the first weeks. special. They really made the difference,” Elena says proudly.
love and care
The new store was set up within three days. Caresse Boekhout coordinates this project. “She’s a mother and works here full-time,” says Irina, who wants to put her ‘top volunteer’ in the spotlight at all costs. About 5,000 refugees who are received in the area have now collected items from the store.
Irina has seen something special emerge. “The idea was to show the refugees that they are welcome. That they are not alone at the end of the world. Our Dutch and international volunteers have come together to give love and care to these people and to show them that this is not the end of their lives.”
“The connection we have made between them is amazing”
Among those volunteers are Ukrainian refugees, such as 14-year-old Rostik, who fled from Kiev with his mother and grandmother. “I help out in the store and basically do whatever they ask me to do,” the boy says. “I feel good here.”
Irina is impressed: “Dutch and Ukrainian refugees are different from each other. For example, they speak a different language,” she notes. “The connection we’ve made between them is great. They work together perfectly. I’ve never seen such a great team.”
The store will be reduced in size in the near future. Most people who still pass by now come from outside Amstelland, such as Haarlemmermeer, Elena sees. “We want to make sure that people who need something get it, but where they are,” she explains. Some of the items are therefore expected to be brought to Haarlemmermeer.