Bocholt launches first humanitarian aid transport to Verkhniodniprovsk in the new year

The first humanitarian aid transport of the year from Bocholt is ready to go. In cooperation between the city of Bocholt and the association "Helfende Hände St. Josef Bocholt e.V.", the relief supplies were loaded last weekend. The transport will set off for the Ukrainian solidarity partner city of Verkhniodniprovsk in the coming week.

The transport includes medical supplies and care products, furniture and household goods for internally displaced persons as well as warm blankets and other urgently needed donations in kind. Tablets for schoolchildren provided by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) are also being taken along. As part of the partnership and support provided by the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW), the equipment also includes five large-screen televisions, which are to be used in air-raid shelters that serve as classrooms.

Over the past weeks and months, citizens, local businesses and numerous volunteers have collected donations in kind and made them available for transport. The loading was carried out in close co-operation between German and Ukrainian helpers in Bocholt. The delivery serves to support the solidarity partner city, where the humanitarian situation remains tense. The transport follows on from previous aid campaigns from Bocholt, which have already supplied hospitals, schools and other local projects.

Petra Taubach, European Commissioner of the City of Bocholt, is moved by the commitment and support of many stakeholders: "Our heartfelt thanks go to all donors, the numerous supporters and the dedicated helpers who made this transport possible in the first place. This joint commitment epitomises European solidarity and the close ties between Bocholt and Verkhniodniprovsk."