The Grape Tros in Berkel-Enschot is for many Ukrainian refugees the place where they can catch their breath after a long journey. The well-known hotel of Rob and Janny Zoontjes has now become a kind of registration location for Ukrainians in the Tilburg region. They can stay there until the municipality has found another shelter for the refugees.
Empty cans, tired and with only a modest bag or briefcase full of personal items. This is how the Ukrainian refugees arrive at the Grape bunch. Since the beginning of March, the hotel has been providing shelter for the first 48 hours in the Tilburg region, after which people are transferred.
For owner Janny Zoontjes, helping was a matter of course. “We have 56 hotel rooms, have just come out of the lockdown, which makes it quieter and you see the images on TV. Then looking the other way is not an option.” Two weeks after the first contact with the municipality, the first refugees arrived.
The reception is sometimes improvised for the Grape Tros, certainly in the beginning. “It happened that we were expecting 11 refugees and suddenly 35 came out of the bus.” She sometimes finds it quite spicy when she sees the sadness of the Ukrainians. “You sometimes cry when you hear those stories of relatives left behind, of whom they do not know how they make it. We all know the images, but these are the people who are involved.”
The Koturanova family from Dnipro was one of the first to arrive in the Grape Tros. They now stay with their girl next door in the vacant company house. “That girl next door is all alone. Her parents can’t leave and brother is fighting at the front.” It visibly touches Janny. “My parents come three a week and then you think: are they there again? After three weeks of no contact, she finally called them. Who knows the last time.”
Mother Tanya Koturanova (44), university teacher, now works in the kitchen of the Grape Tros. Her daughter Ira is overjoyed that she can help in the ministry. “These people want to get started and get on with their lives,” explains Janny. She tries to help the refugees with that. “These are highly educated people who can speak English, but if you can’t and don’t have a buddy, then what? They have to find housing, work, education and sports clubs themselves.”
The concern about the Ukrainian refugees regularly keeps Janny awake. “I take it too much for myself. For example, I received a thank-you letter from an 82-year-old Ukrainian lady. She should have stood on the train from Poland to Berlin and was so happy that she could relax here. That really does something to you .”